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Fatah leaders: Escalate popular intifada
Jeruslalem Post 31 Mar 2010 - Protests aim to generate int'l pressure over settlements, security barrier.
Land Day tree planters tear gassed by Israeli forces
3/30/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - An event marking Palestinian Land Day in Budrus village was suppressed by Israeli forces on Tuesday, with reports of several injured by tear gas and rubber bullets. Na'im Marar,charged with monitoring the progress of Israel's separation wall in the west-of-Ramallah area, said locals and activists gathered in the village after the noon prayer and walked toward lands on the far side of the separation wall. Participants were set to plant trees in the area, Marar said. Among those injured was Tawfiq At-Tirawi, member of the Fatah Central Committee, who attended the event alongside his Central Committee colleague Jamal Muheisin, former Nablus governor. According to Marar, At-Tirawi was hit with a rubber-coated bullet, adding that Palestine TV reporter Harun Amayra sustained injuries to his leg from the fire.
Dahlan: Hamas leader Meshaal derailing Shalit talks
Palestine Note 30 Mar 2010 - Fatah leader Mohammad Dahlan said negotiations to secure the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit have hit a wall because of disagreement among Hamas leadership, Haaretz reports via Israel Radio. Gilad Shalit Khaled Mashaal, leader of...
Swedish pension fund bans investment in Israeli defense company
Palestine Note 30 Mar 2010 - Första AP-Fonden, Sweden's largest pension fund, has banned investment in Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense electronics company, on ethical grounds, Haaretz reports. Israeli "security barrier," Bethlehem The pension fund said it barred the company from its...
IOF assaults on Land Day demos: 4 youths shot at close range
In Gaza: 30 Mar 2010 - Four non-violent demonstrators were shot at close range with live ammunition by Israeli soldiers during six simultaneous protests throughout the Gaza Strip commemorating “Land Day”. Three of those injured come from Khoza’a, a village east of Khan Younis in Gaza’s south. The fourth, from Deir al Balah, was participating in a peaceful demonstration east of Meghazi, central Gaza. The Khoza’a demonstration neared the border shortly after 12 noon. Israeli jeeps stopped along the Green Line border, their number increasing quickly. Israeli soldiers exited their jeeps and assumed sniper positions on a raised dirt mound and along the border fence. Jemah Najjar, 22, was the first to fasten a Palestinian flag to the border fence in today’s demonstration. He was also the first injured in the Khoza’a region, roughly 10 minutes after he had placed the flag on the fence, he estimates. Israeli soldiers repeatedly opened fire on the very visibly...
Palestinian Land Day: The Non-Violent Struggle Continues
Palestine Monitor: 30 Mar 2010 - In the occasion of the Palestinian Land day several non-violent demonstrations will be held during the week: March 30, 2010: Land Day: Qarawet Bani Zeid Friday March 2, 2010: Bilin, Nilin, Ma'sara, Nebi Saleh, Sheikh Jarrah The non-violent struggle in West Bank: Since the construction of the separation and Apartheid Wall began on June 16th 2002, Palestinian villages across the West Bank have cooperated in non-violent resistance. The communities of Qalqiliya, Jayyous, Budrus, Bil'in, Ni'lin and Al Masara and Umm Salamonah have all non-violently resisted the Wall being built around them. Weekly non-vio-lent demonstrations against the Wall are held in several villages, which bring together Palestinians and Israelis, as well international activists. Weekly Non- Violent Demonstrations Week from 22.3.10 to 28.3.10 BI'LIN Palestinian, Israeli and international activists braved foul weather conditions to demonstrate in West Bank village of Bi'lin on Friday. Dr Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary General of the Palestinian National...
Israeli Troops Open Fire At A Protest Commemorating Land Day In Bethlehem
Uruknet March 29, 2010 - Israeli troops used tear gas and rubber-coated-steel bullets to suppress a protest at the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem on Monday. The protest today was organized in commemoration of Land Day. The event was organized by local political groups and NGO’s. People gathered at a local mosque nearby and marched towards the wall that separates...
BREACHING THE WALLS OF APARTHEID FOR FREEDOM
Uruknet March 28, 2010 - Wow, what a day: over 100 native Palestinian Christians and Muslims and internationals including Israelis, breached the tight security separating the Palestinian cities of Bethlehem from the occupied city of Jerusalem. Donkeys and people arrested! We were initially some 150 strong and started from the Church of Nativity at 11:45 AM carrying palm leaves an banners...
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2217.shtml
Stop The Wall - Israeli occupation forces arrested 11 Palestinians, including journalists and detained 5 Israelis and internationals. They were part of a protest-procession which moved today from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem towards Jerusalem under the banner of the call for freedom of religion and freedom of worship. [
Swedish pension fund bans investment in Israeli company on ethical grounds
Ha'aretz 29 Mar 2010 - Fund shuns Elbit Systems because it provides surveillance equipment for West Bank separation barrier.
Stuck between a wall and an occupation
Electronic Intifada: 29 Mar 2010 - When Bilal Jadou's grandmother was sick last year, neither Israeli ambulances or Palestinian ambulances were able to cross the checkpoint to his house. Jadou's house is on the other side of the sprawling apartheid wall, separated from his community and the West Bank. Nora Barrows-Friedman interviews Jadou from Aida refugee camp, occupied West Bank.
Palm Sunday detainees still in Israeli custody
3/28/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel detained 11 Palestinians in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Sunday, amid protests over restrictions preventing Christians from performing religious rites in Jerusalem over Easter. Dozens of protesters, joined by international peace activists and Muslim supporters, took to the streets after Sunday prayers held for the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday in the Nativity Church. Participants performed the symbolic march of Jesus Christ to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, carrying palm branches and banners denouncing Israel's wall and continued settlement expansion. The rally reached the Gilo checkpoint, used predominantly by tourists and through which West Bankers can only pass with permission from Israel. Participants tried to transit the military installation before being barred by waiting Israeli soldiers. Related: Palm Sunday detainees identified
Palm Sunday detainees identified
3/28/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained 11 Palestinians on Palm Sunday, who marched toward the Gilo checkpoint in Bethlehem protesting Israel's increased restriction imposed on Palestinian Christians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, barring them access to the Old City of Jerusalem to perform Easter rites. Those detained during the rally have been identified as follows: Abbas Zaki, member of the Fatah Central CommitteeMohammad Al-Hubani, member of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Bethlehem Mahmoud Zawahreh, member of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Al-Ma'sara Fadi Hamad, Associated Press photographerHassen Breijeiyah, member of the Popular Committee Against the wall in Al-Ma'saraMarwan Fararjeh, member of Fatah's Regional Office in Bethlehem Toni Shahwwan, member of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Beit Jala Two of the Palm Sunday detainees remain unidentified. Related: Palm Sunday detainees still in Israeli custody
Israeli Troops Attack Palm Sunday Protest In Bethlehem, Detains 15 Among Them Two Journalists
Uruknet March 28, 2010 - Fifteen people among them two journalists were detained by Israeli troops and police officers when they attack a Palm Sunday protest near Bethlehem.Palestinians along with international and Israeli supporters gathered at the Church on Nativity in Bethlehem city, southern West Bank. The carrying Palm leaves and flags protesters headed towards the gat of the wall separating...
Ashkenazi to soldiers near Gaza: Prepare for more incidents
YNet News 28 Mar 2010 - IDF chief tells soldiers who lost two of their comrades during Friday's exchanges of fire with Palestinians near Kissufim they serve as 'wall between terrorist and Israeli communities'
Israel voices hope that Egypt will complete Gaza wall by year end
Daily Star 28 Mar 2010 TEL AVIV: Israel hopes an underground wall that Egypt is building along its border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to stop smuggling will be completed by the end of the year, a senior Israeli official said Sunday. Cairo has played down the scope of the work along the 14-kilometer frontier, but the Islamist group Hamas condemns it as a "wall of death"
Preparations For Land Day 2010
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD, Desert Peace 3/27/2010
On Wednesday, the Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall and Settlements in Beit Sahour hosted a gathering of over 100 town people and guests (including Nabil Shaath of Fatah Central Committee) to brief them on what is going on at Ush Ghrab with the military watch tower erected. The discussion revolved around the popular resistance. We explained the nature of our activities and it was made clear that even though the mayor would prefer that we limit our activities to just being in the park, that the committee has monthly schedule of events that we would like people to participate in. The next two popular resistance events here will be 1) a march from the Nativity square in Bethlehem to Rachel’s tomb area (Sunday at 11:30 AM), 2) land day events in Ush Ghrab throughout the site beginning at 10 AM to 2 PM on Tuesday (in Beit Sahour).
Land day will be commemorated in hundreds of cities around the world on March 30th as a day to promote boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (act in your area please) as it has been since the first land day in 1976 when Palestinians inside the Green Line (Palestine of 1948) rose-up against the continued unfair land expropriation. My wife, who does not yet have a Palestinian ID card, was thus able to travel to Nazareth area and brought pictures and stories of the beauty of the stolen lands of the Galilee where my maternal grandmother comes from. The greenery and the richness of the soil reminded me of my grandmother’s stories about how idyllic rural village life in Palestine was before 1948 and the ethnic cleansing that followed. We also had a press conference with Omar Ala’Eddin who was abused by the Israeli soldiers. Amira Hass attended the conference and reported the story in Haaretz.
Omar’s case was highlighted today in the weekly demonstration in Al-Masara also attended by Imam Tamimi (for this and previous events mentioned and other activities of the popular committees, see new short video...and our earlier video of Omar at the Hospital). Links: Omar and More and Israeli Troops Release A Community Organizer After Weeklong Detention And Torture -- See also: VIDEO - Omar and More and VIDEO - Israeli Troops Release A Community Organizer After Weeklong Detention And Torture more.. e-mail
Israel plans expansion to Western Wall plaza
3/27/2010 - Jonathan Cook - Jerusalem - The Israeli government has indicated that it will press ahead with a plan to enlarge the Jewish prayer plaza at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, despite warnings that the move risks triggering a third intifada. Israeli officials rejected a Jerusalem court's proposal to shelve the plan earlier in the week after the judge accepted that the plaza's expansion would violate the "status quo" arrangement covering the Old City's holy places. Islamic authorities agreed to the arrangement after Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967. The proposed area for an expanded compound is in the area of the Mughrabi Gate, and one of the entrances to the Haram Ash-Sharif, or noble sanctuary, which houses the Al-Asqa Mosque. Waves of Israeli encroachments on the site starting in August at the start of Ramadan and surging in February and March led to protests and violence targeting Palestinians.
Israeli settlers blamed for Hebron vandalism
3/27/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Settlers from the illegal settlement of Ma'on, east of Yatta in the Hebron district, on Saturday destroyed a metal fence that was installed by Palestinian residents to protect their land, a local official said. Saber Al-Hereini, head of the At-Tuwani village council, blamed "relentless" Israeli settlers, who he said brought down a fence erected by local residents and damaged dozens of seedlings ready for planting. "The settlers, supported by Israel's army, are trying to expand the settlement -- which was built on our land -- on even more of our land," he added. "We were expelled from our land and property in an attempt to turn these Palestinian lands into an Israeli area empty of Palestinians. "An Israeli military spokeswoman said the army was unaware of the allegations. A complaint can be filed with the District Coordination Office, which would investigate such an incident if informed, she added.
Fayyad, Avnery to speak in Qalqiliya village
3/27/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Uri Avnery, of the Israeli peace organization Gush Shalom, and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will speak at a Land Day rally in the Izbat Tabib village in the Qalqiliya district on Saturday. Former Knesset Member Avnery, along with a group of Israeli peace and human rights activists, will participate in the Land Day rally organized by the Popular Committee Against the Wall, in the Qalqiliya-area village, which is encircled by Israel's separation wall. Among the Palestinian speakers expected at the rally are Qalqiliya Governor Rabih Al-Khandaqji, Mustafa Barghouti of the Palestinian National Initiative, and Palestinian Legislative Council members Mahmoud Al-Aloul and Hatem Abdel Qader. Palestinians in the the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Israel mark Land Day on 30 March, commemorating the 1976 slaying of six Palestinians and the injury of over 100 in Israel by Israeli forces. . .
Amos Harel / Israel's border with Egypt is like the Wild West
Ha'aretz 27 Mar 2010 - PM wants to build a fence along the Egyptian border, as tensions rise over the refugee question.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2215.shtml
Stop The Wall - As soon as the demonstrators reached the edge of the village, the occupation forces began firing tear gas on them, using Israel’s latest export product – a tear gas launcher that fires 30-40 tear gas grenades at a time. [
One Injured At The Weekly Anti Wall Protest In The Northern West Bank Village Of Nabi-saleh
IMEMC - Friday March 26, 2010 - 16:56, A Palestinian youth was injured when Israeli troops opened fire at anti wall protesters in the village of Nabi-Saleh, northern West Bank.
One Israeli Detained Other Protesters Injured In The Anti Wall Bil’in Weekly Protest
IMEMC - Friday March 26, 2010 - 16:49, Villagers of Bil’in, central West Bank, along with international and Israeli supporters protested on Friday the Israeli wall built on farmers lands.
Israeli Troops Use Tear Gas To Suppress Anti Wall Protest In Nil’in Village
IMEMC - Friday March 26, 2010 - 16:24, Seven civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation in Friday at the village of Nil’in central West Bank during the anti-wall weekly protest.
Al Ma’ssara Village Near Bethlehem Protest The Israeli-built Wall
IMEMC - Friday March 26, 2010 - 15:41, Residents of Al Ma’ssara village near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem protest on Friday midday the Israeli-built wall on their lands.
Israel army confirms 2 soldiers killed in Gaza clashes
3/26/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Israeli army confirmed on Friday that two soldiers were killed during crossfires in Gaza. A statement issued by the military said "one IDF officer and one IDF soldier were killed, one moderately injured and one lightly injured in an exchange of fire with terrorists who were planting explosives along the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. "The families of the soldiers have been informed of the incident. The injured soldiers have been evacuated to a hospital for further medical care. After identifying the terrorists planting explosives, the force fired at them and identified killing two of the terrorists. "There is an ongoing daily effort by IDF soldiers to defend Israeli civilians. The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the citizens of the State of Israel and will continue to operate firmly against anyone who uses terror against it. . . . . "
Tear gas used against anti-wall rally
3/26/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Dozens of Palestinians, international and Israeli solidarity activists chokedon Friday as Israeli forces used tear gas, rubber-coated bullets, and stun grenades to disperse the weekly anti-wall rally in Bil'in, west of Ramallah. A non-violent rally began shortly after Friday prayers as protesters raised flags, anti-wall and anti-settlement posters. Demonstrators marched in the streets chanting slogans condemning Israeli policies and demanding the release of all prisoners in Israel's custody. Palestinian National Initiative Secretary-General Mustafa Barghouthi took part in the rally, along with members and supporters of his party. Protesters called on the Arab League summit, to be held in Sirte, Libya, to back Palestine and Jerusalem "in deeds rather than words. " Demonstrators headed to the separation barrier where an Israeli force closed the area with barbed wire and soldiers were stationed behind cement blocks.
2 Israeli soldiers, 2 Palestinian militants killed in clashes
Uruknet March 25, 2010 - Two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians have been killed in a clash east of the Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis. The Israeli military said on Friday that there was an exchange of fire on the border after soldiers challenged Palestinians planting bombs near the separation barrier. The military said an officer and a soldier have...
IDF officer, soldier killed in Gaza clashes
YNet News 26 Mar 2010 - Two soldiers also injured in serious clashes with Palestinians near border fence. Israeli force enters Strip after identifying Palestinians planting explosive devices. During chase, bomb detonates, fire opened at force. Two Palestinians also killed
Provocation at Al-Aqsa
Jonathan Cook, CounterPunch 3/26/2010
Rabbi Plans "Miracle" at the Western Wall
The Israeli government has indicated that it will press ahead with a plan to enlarge the Jewish prayer plaza at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, despite warnings that the move risks triggering a third intifada.
Israeli officials rejected this week a Jerusalem court’s proposal to shelve the plan after the judge accepted that the plaza’s expansion would violate the “status quo” arrangement covering the Old City’s holy places. Islamic authorities agreed to the arrangement after Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967.
The site eyed by Israeli officials is located at the Mughrabi Gate, an entrance to the mosque compound known as the Haram al Sharif, the most sensitive site in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Inside are Al Aqsa Mosque and the golden-topped Dome of the Rock.
Earlier encroachments by Israel on Islamic authority at the site have triggered clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians. A heavily armed visit to the compound by Ariel Sharon in 2000, shortly before he became prime minister, to declare Israeli rights there sparked the second intifada.
In recent weeks, analysts have grown increasingly concerned that a third intifada is imminent as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has advanced settlement building in East Jerusalem and declared several places deep in the occupied West Bank as Jewish heritage sites.
Another assault on Muslim control so close to Al Aqsa Mosque risked “pouring fuel on the fire”, said Hanna Sweid, an Arab member of the Israeli parliament who filed the original planning objections to the Israeli scheme. more.. e-mail
Israeli fire injures 1 in southern Gaza
3/25/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A Palestinian worker was critically injured on Thursday morning as the Israeli forces at the closed Sufa crossing opened fire on a group of men collecting rubble for the re-manufacturing of construction materials, medics said. Director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, Muawiya Hassanein, identified the injured man as Naji Abu Rayda, 32, noting he was shot in the back and transferred to the European Hospital. An Israeli military spokesman said he was unfamiliar any such incident in the area of the Sufa crossing. Israeli news sources reported a similar incident near the Rafah crossing, southwest of Sufa. The spokesman said he had no knowledge of an incident matching either description. According to the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Rayda was injured in the right thigh when he and several other workers were approximately 500 meters from the border fence.
Israeli forces cross Lebanon buffer in ’routine operation’
3/25/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Lebanese news agencies said a 17-strong force of Israeli soldiers crossed the border fence into the Ghajar village on Thursday, taking up a post on one of its hilltops. Israeli media quoted army personnel describing the event as a routine operation. The force crossed a fence but not the border, reports said. On Saturday, the Lebanese military reported firing on two Israeli fighter aircraft that reportedly entered the country's airspace. A statement issued by the Lebanese army said ground artillery fired at two low-flying Israeli jet fighters. The Israeli army had no comment on that incident. In 2009, there were two incidents of exchanged fire between Israel and Lebanon. On 21 February 2009, Israel shelled southern Lebanon after a rocket landed in Israel. Hizbullah and Palestinian factions all denied involvement in the launch.
Israel's Provocation at al-Aqsa: Rabbi Plans 'Miracle'
Uruknet March 25, 2010 - The Israeli government has indicated that it will press ahead with a plan to enlarge the Jewish prayer plaza at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, despite warnings that the move risks triggering a third intifada. Israeli officials rejected this week a Jerusalem court’s proposal to shelve the plan after the judge accepted that the...
Netanyahu’s Ring and the Legitimacy of Zionism
Ahmed Amr, Palestine Chronicle, Axis of Logic 3/24/2010
You can’t make this stuff up. It was a Monday, the first day of spring in 2010, a time usually reserved for a little fresh air. Alas, the Prime Minister of Israel was dispensing noxious fumes in a speech to AIPAC, the pro-Israeli lobbying conglomerate that is considered the single most effective arm-twisting organization in Washington. Did I forget to mention the Prime Minister’s name? It’s Benjamin Netanyahu. The significance of that factoid will become apparent as we move along.
Here’s part of what Netanyahu had to say to the AIPAC faithful and the drooling congressmen and senators who came to pay homage to the prince of Israel.
“The attempt by many to describe the Jews as foreign colonialists in their own homeland is one of the great lies of modern times. In my office, I have on display a signet ring that was loaned to me by Israel’s Department of Antiquities. The ring was found next to the Western wall, but it dates back some 2,800 years ago, two hundred years after King David turned Jerusalem into our capital city. The ring is a seal of a Jewish official, and inscribed on it in Hebrew is his name: Netanyahu. His name was Netanyahu Ben-Yoash. My first name, Benjamin, dates back 1,000 years earlier to Benjamin, the son of Jacob. One of Benjamin’s brothers was named Shimon, which also happens to be the first name of my good friend, Shimon Peres, the President of Israel. Nearly 4,000 years ago, Benjamin, Shimon and their ten brothers roamed the hills of Judea. Ladies and Gentlemen, the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel cannot be denied. The connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem cannot be denied. The Jewish people were building Jerusalem 3,000 year ago and the Jewish people are building Jerusalem today. Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is our capital.”
There you have it folks. If your name is Benjamin Netanyahu, what more justification do you need to expropriate land from the native Palestinians?.... more.. e-mail
Israel's latest provocation at al-Aqsa
Electronic Intifada: 25 Mar 2010 - The Israeli government has indicated that it will press ahead with a plan to enlarge the Jewish prayer plaza at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, despite warnings that the move risks triggering a third intifada. Israeli officials rejected this week a Jerusalem court's proposal to shelve the plan after the judge accepted that the plaza's expansion would violate the "status quo" arrangement covering the Old City's holy places. Jonathan Cook reports from Jerusalem.
When will the US press show us what annexed East Jerusalem looks like?
Mondoweiss - 25 Mar 2010 - One of the great surprises of my recent visit to Israel and Palestine was the morning I stood on a hillside south of Gilo in the Palestinian village of Wallajeh and gazed over at the settlement with its fancy red tile roofs. We were in a...
Israel's Provocation at al-Aqsa: Rabbi Plans 'Miracle'
Palestine Chronicle: 25 Mar 2010 - By Jonathan Cook - Jerusalem The Israeli government has indicated that it will press ahead with a plan to enlarge the Jewish prayer plaza at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, despite warnings that the move risks triggering a third intifada. Israeli officials rejected this week a Jerusalem court’s proposal to shelve the plan after the judge accepted that the plaza’s expansion would violate the “status quo” arrangement covering the Old City’s holy places. Islamic authorities agreed to the arrangement after Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967. The site eyed by Israeli officials is located at the Mughrabi Gate, an entrance to the mosque compound known as the Haram al Sharif, the most sensitive site in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Inside are Al Aqsa Mosque and the golden-topped Dome of the Rock. Earlier encroachments by Israel on Islamic authority at the site have triggered clashes between...more
Israel 'playing with fire' with Western Wall construction
The National 24 Mar 2010 - Benjamin Netanyahu's government will press ahead with construction at the Western Wall, despite the threat of a third Palestinian intifada and the global Muslim community's concern over the control of an area sacred to two faiths.
Al-Haq: 4 Unarmed Teenagers Shot Dead by Israeli Military in Nablus District
Stop The Wall - " [...]None were armed or posed any threat to the Israeli soldiers. These killings demonstrate a total disregard for the victims' human rights and of international humanitarian law by the Israeli occupation forces." [
Popular committee says organizer tortured
3/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - An organizer of popular resistance activities in the village of Al-Ma'asara alleged he was tortured while in Israeli prison, a report from the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee said on Monday. According to a statement from the committee, Al-Ma'asara organizer Omar Ala Ad-Din was detained as he passed through the Container checkpoint, an internal West Bank military post, on 14 March. Ala Ad-Din said he was beaten repeatedly, first by the soldiers who detained him and later by intelligence officers in the Russian Compound, an Israeli investigation center in Jerusalem. He said he was kicked, punched and shocked several times with a taser. He said he was questioned about participation in the protests against the construction of Israel's separation wall, and accused of assaulting the soldier who arrested him. Related: Palestinian organizer tortured in Israeli jail
Israeli forces ransack homes following Friday protests
3/23/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli forces ransacked the homes of several anti-wall activists in the southern West Bank overnight Friday, threatening to torture them and their families if they continued organizing protests in Beit Ummar, an official said. Several days later, on Tuesday, Israeli military representatives confirmed soldiers "acted against individuals suspected of involvement in severe offences, including rock throwing and participation in violent and illegal riots," but noted it "rejects the general claims pertaining to inappropriate offences allegedly committed against Palestinian residents. " Muhammad Awad, spokesman for the Palestine Solidarity Project, said the home of Yousif Abu Mariyya, head of the Popular Committee Against the Wall, was ransacked, and that Abu Mariyya was beaten "before the very eyes" of his family members.
Gaza protesters demand access to lands in no-go zone
3/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hundreds joined the ongoing challenge to the Israeli-enforced no-go zone, limiting access to agricultural lands near the Gaza border, with protesters marching toward the area in the northern Strip on Tuesday. Participant Sabir Za'anin said the crowd was the largest yet, noting the group decided to once again test the northern no-go zone, policed at 300-500 meters away from the border fence. According to some estimates, the Israeli no-go zone that envelopes the Gaza Strip occupies some 20 percent of arable land in the coastal enclave. During the protest, campaign coordinator Mahmoud Az-Zeq said the group marched directly toward the watch-tower at the Erez crossing and were only 80 meters away when warning shots were fired. Az-Zeq told demonstrators that the Palestinian National struggle "must be activated in all its forms," and praised the non-violent demonstrations in Gaza. . .
Fayyad condemns killing of 4 Palestinians
3/21/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Prime Minister Salam Fayyad denounced on Sunday the killing of four Palestinian teenagers in the West Bank over 24 hours by Israeli forces. Fayyad said the killings constituted an escalation in Israeli action, gravely jeopardizing the achievements of the Palestinian Authority in security and stability. "International players must use their influence on the Israeli government to immediately stop this military escalation that coincides with the advanced stance of the Quartet and its frank call to stop all settlements,"he said. The Ramallah-based prime minister added that was confident that popular committees against the wall and settlements in the West Bank did not want to be "dragged into these escalations," which will remain steadfast in their peaceful and non-violent campaign against settlements. "The PA is keen to ensure that there is no return to the cycle of violence. . .
In Ramallah, Ban backs state-building
3/20/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asserted Saturday that the International Quartet would continue to support Palestinian efforts toward statehood. "The Quartet has sent a clear and strong message saying that we strongly support your efforts to establish an independent, viable Palestinian state," Ban told Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah. The UN leader arrived in Israel on Friday evening following the Quartet's call for Israel to freeze all settlement activity and Palestinians to fight extremism. He is scheduled to meet Israeli President Shimon Peres on Saturday evening. Ban's remarks came during a tour with Fayyad in the Al-Masyoun neighborhood of Ramallah, which is surrounded by Israel's separation wall, and the Ofer detention center southwest of Ramallah. "I saw with my very eyes the hardships the Palestinians face as a result of Israeli settlement activities and land confiscation. "
Fayyad takes Ban on settlement tour
3/20/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asserted Saturday that the International Quartet would continue to support Palestinian efforts towards statehood. "The Quartet has sent a clear and strong message saying that we strongly support your efforts to establish an independent, viable Palestinian state," Ban told Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah. The UN leader arrived in Israel on Friday evening following the Quartet's call for Israel to freeze all settlement activity and Palestinians to fight extremism. He is scheduled to meet Israeli President Shimon Peres on Saturday evening. Ban's remarks came during a tour with Fayyad in the Al-Masyoun neighborhood of Ramallah, which is surrounded by Israel's separation wall, and the Ofer detention center southwest of Ramallah. "I saw with my very eyes the hardships the Palestinians face as a result of Israeli settlement activities and land confiscation. "
Haaretz: IDF vs. democracy and freedom of speech
3/20/2010 - Israeli Occupation Archive - Haaretz Editorial – 18 March 2010 -- The Israel Defense Forces decision to declare the Palestinian villages Bil’in and Na’alin closed military zones on Fridays for the next six months is a serious anti-democratic move. The order issued by the GOC Central Command implementing this restriction is an act against the freedom to demonstrate. The fact that the army issued such a sweeping order, and that it is supposed to be in effect for such a long period, requires an immediate petition to the High Court of Justice asking it to block this dangerous and damaging move, which lacks any justification. The freedom to demonstrate is a basic right and an extension of freedom of expression. In recent years, the two villages have come to symbolize the struggle against the separation fence that separates the villagers from their lands. Related: Source
Why Israel Always Prevails
Jeffrey Blankfort, CounterPunch 3/20/2010
A Crisis in U.S. / Israeli Relations? Sure. But ...
If the State Department had issued travel advisory warnings to US government officials about to travel to Israel, Vice President Joe Biden would have no doubt ignored them. A better friend to Israel could not have been found in the 36 years that Biden represented Delaware in the US Senate and there was speculation that his popularity among Jewish voters and major Jewish donors was the primary reason he was added to the Democratic ticket. According to all reports, Biden’s trip was to mend fences with the Israeli officials and with the Israeli Jewish public which had become disenchanted with the Obama administration where the president’s popularity is measured in the low single digits.
Indeed, even a day after having been blind-sided by the announcement that Israel would build 1600 new and exclusively Jewish housing units in East Jerusalem, Biden was still trying. In a prepared speech, he once again bragged, this time to a Tel Aviv university audience, that he was a Zionist and that, “Throughout my career, Israel has not only remained close to my heart but it has been the center of my work as a United States Senator and now as Vice President of the United States,” a statement that should raise questions about dual loyalties and which, curiously, was omitted from all reports on his speech in the US press.
In addition, Biden repeated what he said on his arrival in Jerusalem, that, “There is no space -- this is what they [the world] must know, every time progress is made, it’s made when the rest of the world knows there is absolutely no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to security, none. No space. That’s the only time when progress has been made.” Biden did not offer any examples of such progress and would have had a hard time doing so. more.. e-mail
Five Injured, Eight Detained At Anti Wall Protest In Budrus Village Central West Bank
IMEMC - Friday March 19, 2010 - 17:01, Five Palestinians were injured, eight others detained when Israeli troops attacked an anti wall protest at the village of Budrus, near Ramallah city, central West Bank.
Bil’in Protest The Wall, Israeli And International Supports Join Braking Army Orders
IMEMC - Friday March 19, 2010 - 16:48, The villagers of Bil’in, central West Bank, along with international and Israeli supporters protest the Israeli-built wall on villager's lands.
Villagers Protest Israel’s Wall Near Bethlehem
IMEMC - Friday March 19, 2010 - 16:27, Villagers of al-Ma’sara, near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, protested, the Israeli built wall on villagers’ lands, on Friday.
In Defiance of Military Orders, Scores Protest At The Village Of Nil ‘in, Central West Bank
IMEMC - Friday March 19, 2010 - 15:53, Villagers, along with international and Israeli supporters, protested on Friday at the village of Nil ‘in, central West Bank, the Israeli built wall on farmers lands.
In photos: Farmers under fire in Qalqiliya
3/19/2010 - MaanImages / Khaleel Reash - 1-5: A Palestinian farmer holds a banner during a demonstration in front of an Israeli military checkpoint that leads to his fields after soldiers prevented him and other farmers from crossing near the West Bank city of Qalqiliya, March 17, 2010. - 6-10: Palestinian farmers use ploughs and hand tools while planting crops on their farmland near a section of the Israeli separation barrier, which surrounds on three sides the northern West Bank city of Qalqiliya, on March 16, 2010. [end]
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2202.shtml
Stop The Wall - This morning, the Israeli occupation forces have attacked residents of Ni’lin who were gathered in a march to protest the military orders against their village and the provocative Israeli construction close to the Palestinian holy places. [
Bil’in and Ni’lin demonstrate in the face of closed military zone orders
3/19/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - The smell of tear gas hung over the villages of Ni'lin and Bil'in today. The shouts demanded an end to apartheid and access to farmlands. The odd and surreal status quo was maintained this Friday. The attempts to squash the nonviolent popular resistance have been in vain. Like the rocky, Palestinian landscape, dotted with olive trees, this resistance is fertile. As these olive trees have been uprooted or burned, the state of Israel has attempted to sow these popular demonstrations with salt. It has been to no avail. Last week's orders posted in Bil'in and Ni'lin declaring the villages closed military zones for all of Friday had no effect on the demonstrators or village-life in general. Butchers displayed their wares, children laughed and kicked their footballs about and the cries for freedom echoed off the walls. The midnight raids did nothing to deter the groundswell of the popular struggle.
Hundreds protest against West Bank security fence
YNet News 19 Mar 2010 - Despite IDF edict declaring area a closed military zone, demonstrators gather for weekly protest in Bilin, Naalin. Security forces arrest three rioters
To risk arrest and cover the protests?
Mya Guarnieri, Ma’an News Agency 3/19/2010
On Monday morning, I received an email with the subject line "A Strange Night Raid in Bil’in." An enclosed link led to video footage that I would call more chilling than strange: Israeli soldiers stalk through the West Bank village, taping Hebrew documents to shuttered storefronts.
The village is black, silent. The soldiers don’t speak; we hear the low rumble of the army jeeps, the hiss of tape being stripped away from the roll, the click of a camera as the soldiers records their work.
The papers, it turns out, are orders declaring both Bil’in an Ni’lin closed military zones on Fridays, between the hours of 8 AM to 8 PM, until mid-August. For Bil’in, the area between the eastern edge of the village and the separation wall is covered in the zone, and in Ni’lin, the entire village will be declared closed Fridays.
Palestinians and Israelis who enter the village during this time risk arrest; internationals risk deportation. As the weekly non-violent protest against the separation barrier begins shortly following Friday afternoon prayers, the message is clear—resistance, of any kind, is not welcome.
As a citizen of Israel who has attended the demonstration on numerous occasions, I was offended by the army’s attempts to censure Palestinian, Israeli, and international voices of dissent. As a journalist, I felt that I was watching an extremely important clip. Yes, the army has been cracking down on protesters for some time now. But this seemed to be an even sharper turn, a veer towards an ever darker road. more.. e-mail
In photos: Civil society at work in Qalqiliya
3/18/2010 - MaanImages / Khaleel Reash - 1-3: Palestinian protesters launch balloons during an anti-wall demonstration near a part of the Israeli separation barrier that surrounds the West Bank city of Qalqiliya on 16 March 2010. 4-5: Mutawakil Taha, assistant undersecretary in the Ministry of Information, and Tunisian Ambassador Habib Ben Farah talk to reporters at the protest on Tuesday in the Palestinian city. 6-9: Taha, Ben Farah and Abbas Zaki, a member of Fatah Central Committee, attend a workshop in Qalqiliya after the protest. Palestinians rallied across the occupied territories on Tuesday. 10-11: Rabeh Khandakji, Qalqiliya governor, meets with Taha in Qalqiliya, the site of demonstrations that followed the Israeli inauguration of a new synagogue in occupied East Jerusalem.
The Israeli Army Opens Fire At Anti-wall Nonviolent Protest Near Gaza City
IMEMC - Wednesday March 17, 2010 - 14:34, Israeli troops opened fire on Wednesday midday at a nonviolent protest against the wall central Gaza Strip.
Lula criticises Israeli policies
AlJazeera 17 Mar 2010 - Settlements and separation barrier are obstacles to peace, says Brazilian president.
Israel’s repression leaves dozens wounded in Jerusalem
3/18/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - In reaction to the blanket West Bank closure and Israel's severe limitation of entrance into Al-Aqsa Mosque, demonstrations spread through Jerusalem. Police and soldiers used percussion grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets and physical assaults in an attempt to quell Palestinians show of disdain. Confrontations were reported in Isawiya and Wadi-Joz. Reports claimed that nearly 100 demonstrators were injured (about 25 seriously) and over 70 arrested. An ominous and anticipatory air hung over the Old City on Tuesday. The normal banter of the Muslim quarter was replaced with closed shops and anxious stares. This was in response to Israel's closure of much of the Old City. This closure only extended to Palestinians attempting to pray at the holy site. Tourists and Israeli school children were allowed free reign within its walls.
Selling Cell Phones with Soccer Balls and Criminal Walls
Palestine Chronicle: 17 Mar 2010 - By William A. Cook "Kurt Zehmisch of the 134th Saxons recorded in his diary: 'The English brought a soccer ball from the trenches, and pretty soon a lively game ensued. How marvellously wonderful, yet how strange it was. The English officers felt the same way about it. Thus Christmas, the celebration of Love, managed to bring mortal enemies together as friends for a time.'" -- (the London Times, January 1, 1915) No one can doubt that the news story of the American designed McCann Erickson Cellcom ad shown on Israeli TV for the past week has roused interest around the world. It should. What upstanding Englishman or American could not be impressed by the good natured, manicured Israeli soldiers as they responded to the soccer ball thudding off their Humvee’s bonnet by tearing off their uniforms and helmets at the slight chance of engaging the unseen Palestinians on the other...more
Israel’s apartheid: Making Palestinians pay for Hitler’s crimes
Uruknet March 16, 2010 - A year after a murderous Israel’s assault, the war on the people of Gaza continues. Gaza is still under siege – still surrounded by walls and checkpoints. Its people are denied the necessities of life and the right to rebuild and shape their future. For me, as a survivor of the holocaust, the tragic situation in...
IOF injures 5 Palestinians in Ni’lin
16 Mar 2010 - West Bank, March 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- At least five people were injured Tuesday afternoon in the clashes between the Palestinians and Israeli soldiers in Ni'lin village, in the West Bank's Ramallah, following the demonstration which people staged in support of Jerusalem. Salah Al-Khawaja, a spokesman for the Popular Committee against the Wall in Ni'lin, said: "hundreds of villagers and...
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2202.shtml
Stop The Wall - This morning, the Israeli occupation forces have attacked residents of Ni’lin who were gathered in a march to protest the military orders against their village and the provocative Israeli construction close to the Palestinian holy places. [
Stop the Wall releases two reports on Brazil's complicity with Israeli wars and occupation.
Stop The Wall - Stop the Wall sends a message to Brazil's Lula da Silva during his visit to Palestine: Free trade and arms trade with Israel rule out effective support for human rights and just peace. [
Nil’in commemorates year anniversary of Tristan Anderson shooting: two arrested
3/16/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 13 March 2010 - On Friday, March 13th, the one year anniversary of the critical injury of international activist Tristan Anderson, approximately 100 Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals gathered for the weekly demonstration in Ni'lin to claim justice for Tristan. Anderson, a 38 year old U. S. citizen who was volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement, was hit in the forehead by a high-flying tear gas projectile during a demonstration in Ni'lin last year. The projectile was fired against IOF regulations, as soldiers shot the canisters directly at demonstrators rather than in an arcing fashion. According to the manufacturer of the tear gas canisters, the projectile was designed to penetrate walls and to be used in confined spaces; neither was necessary at the open-air demonstration demonstration in 2009. Tristan sustained serious brain damage, and remains hospitalized in Tel Aviv, his condition too serious for him to be moved home to the US.
Israel's actions on the ground proving difficult to spin
Electronic Intifada: 16 Mar 2010 - JERSUSALEM (IPS) - Israeli riot police and soldiers have, since Friday, sealed off the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine, restricting entry to women and Palestinian men over 50. Outside the walled Old City, where the al-Aqsa mosque is situated, and in several West Bank villages, clashes were reported.
Official: Israel to confiscate land near Bethlehem
3/15/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces distributed land confiscation notices on Saturday to residents of Wadi Rahhal, south of Bethlehem, to amend the separation route's wall, a popular committee official said. Shadi Fawaghra, a Popular Committee Against the Wall coordinator in the village, told Ma'an that the notices included maps confiscating 70 dunums of Wadi Rahhel land. The latest separation wall route will pass through the main road that connects the village to the city of Bethlehem, he said. Residents said the new Israeli decision is "land theft," as Israeli forces have already overturned the landoriginally designated for the wall's construction. The village's residents marched in protest toward the Israeli Civil Administration office in Kfar Etzion and say they will hire an attorney to bring the case before an Israeli court to suspend the decision.
Masked soldiers post closed zone signs in Bil’in, Ni’lin
3/15/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Dozens of masked soldiers raided the West Bank villages of Bil'in and Nil'in Monday morning to post decrees designating the village's lands closed military zones on Fridays for a period of six months, residents said. The areas between the wall and built up villages will be declared closed military zones every Friday between 8am and 8pm for six months, the military decrees read. According to a statement issued by Bil'in's Popular Committee, the move comes one week after the head of the Israeli Shin Bet threatened to step-up action against the Palestinian popular struggle in the two villages that see weekly protests against the separation wall's construction. The Popular Committee said the decrees went into effect on 17 February, before their distribution, and were signed by Commander of the Israeli Central Command Avi Mizrahi.
Israeli cabinet approves barrier construction in south
3/15/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Israeli cabinet described the planned wall along its border with Egypt as an effort to "protect the State of Israel and its future as a Jewish and democratic state," a government release said on Sunday. A cabinet communique said the 1. 35 billion shekel (363. 3 million US dollar) barrier is a response to attempts to infiltrate Israel along its Egyptian border, which "has security and demographic consequences. . . Building a fence is a great and important national necessity, and we look forward toward the future of the state of Israel. "The barrier's construction, the statement said, is designed to prevent "hostile terrorist activity, drug smuggling, the smuggling of goods, illegal infiltrations and human trafficking. "Several African migrants have been shot, as well as detained, by Egyptian forces along the border in recent weeks.
EU’s Wallis condemns Ibrahimi Mosque inclusion on Israeli list
3/15/2010 - Hebron- Ma'an - The EU Parliament's Vice President Diana Wallis condemned Israel's decision to include the Ibrahimi Mosque on a list of Israeli heritage sites, as she toured the mosque in Hebron on Sunday. "The Israeli government's decision is very worrying, and came at a time when the mayor of Hebron is working hard to register this site [the Ibrahimi Mosque] on UNESCO's world heritage list," Wallis said following a tour lead by Hebron Mayor Khaled Al-E'seili and committee head for rebuilding, Ali Al-Qawasmi. "I believe this site should be kept open for all beliefs, and have it become a place of peace and not of checkpoints, closures, and the barring of the freedom of worship and performing religious rights," she added. Wallis further met with local residents and merchants in Hebron's Old City, who spoke of their daily distress at settler violence aimed toward them and procedures carried out by Israeli forces in the city.
Israeli journalist illegally entering Egypt detained by police
3/15/2010 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - An Israeli journalist allegedly researching for an investigative report on African migrants was arrested alongside a Ghanaian man at the barbed wire fence demarcating the Egyptian border, police reported. Egyptian security sources said police detained the two attempting to steal across the Egypt-Israel border on Monday. Officers processing the men discovered one was in fact an Israeli citizen. He was identified as Yotim Feldman, 30, traveling with a Ghanaian man who was not identified. According to Haaretz, Feldman was working on report about African migrants for Israel's Channel 10 while on leave from the Israeli daily paper. Egyptian police noted that Feldman said he was a Tel Aviv-based journalist who traveled to the Sinai via the Taba border crossing and located smuggling groups, paying a large sum to ring leaders to be shown the routes taken by migrants seeking illegal entry into Israel for work.
Israeli Army: Bil’in and Ni’lin a Closed Military Zone for a Six Month Period
3/15/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, 14 March - One week after the head of the Israeli Shin Bet threatened to aggravate the repression of the Palestinian popular struggle, a large military force raided the villages of Bil'in and Ni'ilin at 3:30AM this morning. The sole purpose of the raids was to post decrees designating the land between the Wall and the developed area of the villages as closed military zones between 8AM to 8PM every Friday for a period of half a year. The decrees, which came into effect on February 17th, are signed by the recently appointed commander of the Israeli Central Command, Avi Mizrahi, himself. Closed military zone orders are usually signed by a brigade commander, a much lower rank. Gaby Lasky who represents residents of the villages, said that "This is yet another illegal measure taken by the Army, which makes ill use of its authority in order to suppress. . . .
Israel Crackdown Puts Liberal Jews on the Spot
Chris Hedges, TruthDig 3/15/2010
The Israeli government, its brutal war crimes in Gaza exposed in detail in the U.N. report by Justice Richard Goldstone, has implemented a series of draconian measures to silence and discredit dissidents, leading intellectuals and human rights organizations inside and outside Israel that are accused—often falsely—of assisting Goldstone’s U.N. investigators. The government of Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to shut down Israel’s premier human rights organizations, including B’Tselem, the New Israel Fund (NIF) and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. It is busy expelling or excluding peace activists and foreign nationals from the Palestinian territories. The campaign, if left unchecked, will be as catastrophic for Palestinians as it will be for Israel.
The Goldstone report, which is over 500 pages, investigated Israel’s 22-day air and ground assault on Gaza that took place from Dec. 27, 2008, to Jan. 18, 2009. The United Nations and the European Parliament have endorsed the report. The report found that Israel used disproportionate military force against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip while failing to take adequate precautions to protect the civilian population against the military assault. The Israeli attack killed 1,434 people, including 960 civilians, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. More than 6,000 homes were destroyed or damaged, leaving behind some $3 billion in destruction in one of the poorest areas on Earth. No Israelis were killed by Hamas rockets fired into Israel during the assault. The report did not limit itself to the 22-day attack; rather, it went on to indict the occupation itself. It examines the beginning of the occupation and condemns Israel for the border closures, the blockade and for the wall or security barrier in the West Bank. It has two references to the right of return, investigates Israeli torture and criticizes the willful destruction of the Palestinian economy.
“The impact of the Goldstone report is tremendous,” the Middle East scholar Norman Finkelstein said when I reached him in New York..... more.. e-mail
Spirit of Bil’in travels to London
Mondoweiss - 15 Mar 2010 - Amira Hass of Haaretz reports today that the West Bank villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin have been declared "closed military areas" by Israel in an attempt to further crush the nonviolent resistance carried out by Palestinians and supporters against the illegal separation wall. Mondo has more...
Israeli forces attack anti-wall rally near Bethlehem
3/14/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces attacked on Sunday a non-violent demonstration in the southern West Bank townof Beit Jala near Bethlehem in protest against separation wall construction in the area, according to eyewitnesses. International and Israeli solidarityactivists joined the rally which was organized by the Bethlehem anti-wall and settlements committee. Fatah affiliated lawmaker Fayiz As-Saqa partook in the rally along with local Fatah leader Abdul-Fattah Khalil and Palestinian peace activist from inside Israel Mubarak Awad. Israeli soldiers, according to eyewitnesses, fired stun grenades at the demonstrators when they came close to the work site. As a result,Fatah leader Abdul-Fattah Khalil was slightly hurt by shrapnel of a stun grenade. Israeli soldiers prevented the protestors from reaching the work site, thus protestorssat on the ground chanting slogans against building the wall.
Netanyahu: Settlement timing hurtful, approves Egypt wall
3/14/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers on Sunday that the announcement to build 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem was "hurtful," and approved the construction of a wall along Egypt's border. Netanyahu said during his weekly cabinet meeting "I suggest not to get carried away and to calm down. . . There was a regrettable incident here, that occurred innocently. "The annoucement followed US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in a bid to renew peace efforts in the region. Biden turned up 90 minutes late to a state dinner hosted by Netanyahu after the latest build in East Jerusalem was declared by Israel's Interior Ministry. "[It] was hurtful, and which certainly should not have occurred. We appointed a team of directors-general to examine the chain of events and to ensure procedures that will prevent such occurrences in the future. . . . "
Israel Lands in Public Relations Nightmare
Uruknet March 14, 2010 - Israeli riot police and soldiers have, since Friday, sealed off the Al Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine, restricting entry to women and Palestinian men over 50. Outside the walled Old City, where the Al Aqsa mosque is situated, and in several West Bank villages, clashes were reported between Palestinian protestors, their Israeli and international supporters,...
Israeli soldiers order Tulkarem farmers to strip
3/13/2010 - Tulkarem - Ma'an - Israeli soldiers demanded 20 farmers strip naked for a security check as they returned from their fields west of the separation wall on Friday afternoon, the men reported. Isolated from their West Bank lands by the separation barrier, the farmers from Deir Al-Ghusun must obtain permits to pass agricultural gate 609, west of Attil village in the northern sector of the Tulkarem governorate. It was at the gate that they were ordered to strip, and scuffles broke out when the men refused. "We were about twenty farmers from Deir Al-Ghusun. When we arrived at the electronic gate known as gate 609. . . there were six Israeli soldiers who insisted that we undress completely including underwear, at gunpoint," Abdul-Latif Zeidan, one of the farmers said. When the men refused the orders a fight broke out, Zeidan said, at which point he phoned the Palestinian liaison department in. . .
Settlement guards threaten farmers near Nablus
3/13/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Guards protecting Israeli settlers assaulted a Palestinian farmer in the Wadi Qana area of the Salfit governorate on Friday, mayor of the nearby town of Deir Istya reported. The guards approached a group of farmers and threatened them with bodily harm, assaulting one man Mayor Nathmi Salman said. They told farmers that settlers would be in the area between 7am and 2pm, and they could not harvest or tend crops during the visiting hours. The settlers arrived at the Wadi Qana spring, as dozens of farmers, who had not been notified of the visit, were irrigating orange groves, Salman reported. Wadi Qana is surrounded by five Israeli settlements and four outposts, strategically located around the spring at the base of the Qana valley. In recent weeks, residents have reported the assault of 75-year-old Khadr Ahmad Mansour by settlers in the area, as well as the destruction of olive trees, agricultural fences and structures.
Article 212: The Israeli Planning and Building Law of 1965
3/13/2010 - Article 212 of the Israeli Planning and Building Law of 1965 is a statute that allows the state to demolish homes deemed "a public nuisance. "Since the law was enacted, it has been used primarily against the Palestinian population of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Beginning in 1967 when Israel illegally annexed East Jerusalem and occupied the West Bank, article 212 has been the legal basis for hundreds, if not thousands of demolitions throughout the Jerusalem, including the razing of the Mughrabi neighborhood of the Old City, where the Western Wall prayer compound now stands. The demolition of houses has been a regular feature of the Israeli occupation of internationally recognized Palestinian lands. According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), house demolitions are illegal under international law as article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that occupying. . . Related: Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (04 – 10 March 2010)
Uruknet March 12, 2010 - Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the reporting period (04 – 10 March 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, 40 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and 3 journalists, were wounded when IOF used excessive force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall and...
Israel detains journalists during protest against apartheid wall
13 Mar 2010 - Hebron, March 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces detained on Saturday three journalists and beat another three while suppressing a protest against the apartheid wall in Bait Omar town, north of Hebron in the West Bank. Palestinian sources said that Israeli soldiers detained journalists Abdul Hafeez Al-Hashlamon, Nasser Shyoukhi and Fadi Hamad, and severely beat journalists Youssef Shahine,...
Israeli forces test new weapons on the protestors in Nabi Saleh
Stop The Wall - The villagers of Nabi Saleh today were confronted with a so far unknown highly powerful explosive device the Occupation forces used to intimidate the villagers and deter protests. [
Two young men severely beaten by Israeli soldiers in al-Masara village
Stop The Wall - During the weekly protest today in the village of al Masara, two young men, 24 year old Mahmoud Alaa El Din and 23-year old Ali Zawahra, were severely beaten by Israeli soldiers using the butts of their rifles. [
Israeli Soldiers Order Tulkarem Farmers to Strip
Palestine Monitor - 13 Mar 2010 - Tulkarem – Ma'an – Israeli soldiers demanded 20 farmers strip naked for a security check as they returned from their fields west of the separation wall on Friday afternoon, the men reported. Isolated from their West Bank lands by the separation barrier, the farmers from Deir...
Israeli Soldiers Order Tulkarem Farmers to Strip
Palestine Monitor: 13 Mar 2010 - Tulkarem – Ma'an – Israeli soldiers demanded 20 farmers strip naked for a security check as they returned from their fields west of the separation wall on Friday afternoon, the men reported. Isolated from their West Bank lands by the separation barrier, the farmers from Deir Al-Ghusun must obtain permits to pass agricultural gate 609, west of Attil village in the northern sector of the Tulkarem governorate. It was at the gate that they were ordered to strip, and scuffles broke out when the men refused. "We were about twenty farmers from Deir Al-Ghusun. When we arrived at the electronic gate known as gate 609 ... there were six Israeli soldiers who insisted that we undress completely including underwear, at gunpoint," Abdul-Latif Zeidan, one of the farmers said. When the men refused the orders a fight broke out, Zeidan said, at which point he phoned the Palestinian liaison department in Israel's...
Two Injured, Dozens Suffer Effects Of Tear Gas Inhalation At The Bil’in Weekly
IMEMC - Friday March 12, 2010 - 15:13, Two civilians were injured as dozens suffered from the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked the weekly anti wall protest at the village of Bil’in, central West Bank.
Al-Ma’sara Village, Southern West Bank, Protest The Israeli Built Wall
IMEMC - Friday March 12, 2010 - 14:41, Villagers of al-Ma’sara, near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, protested on Friday the Israeli built wall on villagers’ lands.
Protesters hurt, arrested in Jerusalem, West Bank
3/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Several people were reported injured and arrested in anti-occupation protests across the West Bank and Jerusalem on Friday. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Palestinians said they were hurt by right wing Israelis who hurled stones in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. A Palestinian from Jerusalem told Ma'an that "settlers" were throwing stones at restaurants in the area. The incident was also reported in Israeli media. Meanwhile eight demonstrators were arrested when some 100 left-wing Israelis protested settlement construction nearby. The arrests proceeded while police allowed a right-wing counter demonstration to proceed. Separately, some 15 demonstrators were reported injured by Israeli forces who cracked down on protests against Israel's separation wall in the villages of Bil'in and Ni'lin west of Ramallah.
Egypt expels hundreds of Palestinians to Gaza
3/12/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian border officials said Friday that 224 Palestinians were sent back to the Gaza Strip from Egypt on Thursday night. The Palestinians, most of them former medical patients, were sent back via Rafah, the de facto crossings authority officials told Ma'an. The reports came amid larger allegations that Egypt had hardened its policies on issuing visas to Hamas leader from Gaza. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported Friday that Cairo wants Hamas to sign an Egyptian-backed reconciliation agreement with its Fatah rivals. Egypt's construction of a wall between the Sinai and Gaza was just the latest point of controversy between the two sides, Haaretz reported. [end]
In photos: 1,000 days of blockade in Gaza
3/12/2010 - 1-3: Palestinians light candles to mark 1,000 days of the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, in Gaza City on 11 March 2010 - MaanImages / Wissam Nassar. 4-5: Jamal Al-Khudari, head of Gaza's Popular Committee Against the Siege, speaks on 11 March 2010, at a rally marking the landmark - MaanImages / Popular Committee. 5-6: Palestinians roast coffee beans at their store in Gaza City on 4 March 2010. Coffee is on the list of items banned from entering Gaza by Israel. The unroasted beans are smuggled in through the Egypt-Gaza tunnels - MaanImages / Wissam Nassar. 7-8: An Egyptian soldier watches a demonstration against the construction of a subterranean border wall, as Palestinians in Rafah rally on 21 December 2009. Egypt has only implicitly confirmed the construction of the underground wall, which was first reported by Israeli media, saying it is aimed at protecting its territory from security threats.
State to reinvestigate wounding of U.S. activist
3/12/2010 - Ha'aretz - The state this week agreed to reinvestigate the 2009 near-fatal wounding of American pro-Palestinian protester Tristan Anderson in the West Bank, after his lawyer complained that the discontinued probe of the case was "negligent. ""We will reexamine the decision to close the case of Tristan Anderson," Justice Ministry spokesman Ron Roman told Anglo File. He said this after receiving an appeal from the lawyer of the 38-year-old American, who remains in critical condition at the Sheba Medical Center after police seriously injured him in the head exactly one year ago during a demonstration. The ministry decided in December to close its investigation into Anderson's injury after its probe produced "a lack of criminal culpability. "Anderson, a Californian, was hit in the forehead on March 13, 2009 by a tear gas canister fired by a border policeman in the village of Na'alin during a demonstration against Israel's contested separation fence.
Dozens Injured in Weekly Demos against the Wall
WAFA 12 Mar 2010 - RAMALLAH, March 12, 2010 (WAFA)- Dozens of citizens were injured as Israeli Occupation forces (IOF) stormed peaceful demonstrators of tear gas and rubber bullets in the weekly rallies against
State to reinvestigate wounding of U.S. activist
3/12/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Ha'aretz - The state this week agreed to reinvestigate the 2009 near-fatal wounding of American pro-Palestinian protester Tristan Anderson in the West Bank, after his lawyer complained that the discontinued probe of the case was "negligent. ""We will reexamine the decision to close the case of Tristan Anderson," Justice Ministry spokesman Ron Roman told Anglo File. He said this after receiving an appeal from the lawyer of the 38-year-old American, who remains in critical condition at the Sheba Medical Center after police seriously injured him in the head exactly one year ago during a demonstration. The ministry decided in December to close its investigation into Anderson's injury after its probe produced "a lack of criminal culpability. "Anderson, a Californian, was hit in the forehead on March 13, 2009 by a tear gas canister fired by a border policeman in the village of Na'alin during a demonstration against Israel's contested separation fence.
Expecting a third Intifada
Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah, Al-Ahram Weekly 3/11/2010
The next Intifada could see the Palestinian people in struggle not only against Israel but also against the Palestinian Authority.
Observers in occupied Palestine are increasingly of the opinion that a fresh Intifada or uprising is in the offing as the Israeli authorities keep provoking Palestinians, including stepping up efforts to gain Jewish prayer rights at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine.
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has warned that provocative Israeli actions at Haram Al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) could trigger a religious war between Jews and Muslims. The organisation called on the world community to stop Israeli aggression before it was too late.
The warning came after Israeli security forces attacked Muslim worshipers during Friday’s congregational prayers on 5 March. Israeli paramilitary police fired tear gas and stun grenades, injuring as many 50 Palestinians, many of them elderly. Some of the injured were transferred to the two main hospitals in East Jerusalem, but many had to be treated on site as Israeli troops impeded emergency medical efforts.
The Israeli police said it “intervened” in reaction to stone throwing towards the nearby Al-Buraq Wall, which Jews call the “Western Wall plaza”. Palestinians have been protesting a series of Israeli provocations, including efforts by Jewish religious groups to gain a foothold at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Last week, Israeli troops escorted a number of Jewish fanatics into the Haram Al-Sharif esplanade where they started holding religious rituals. Muslim worshipers in the area hurled stones towards them, prompting soldiers to attack the Muslims. more.. e-mail
Teachers Not Allowed Into School Isolated Behind The Wall
IMEMC - Thursday March 11, 2010 - 23:12, For the second day, Israeli soldiers prevented on Thursday teachers of the Al Dab’a School, totally isolated behind the Annexation Wall in Qalqilia district, from reaching the school, and demanded them to be searched by special X-Ray equipment.
Teachers refuse searches at Qalqiliya checkpoint
3/12/2010 - Qalqiliya - Ma'an - For the second day in a row, Israeli forces prevented teachers from accessing the Ad-Dab'a village school, south of Qalqiliya behind the separation wall. On Wednesday, new machinery was installed at the Ras Atiya checkpoint, where teachers enter the walled-off area, and soldiers demanded the men and women submit to a search, as well as pass through body scanners, the school's manager Muhammad Awda said. The school in Ad-Daba has 250 students and serves three villages, all located south of the Alfe Menashe settlement, and north of a swath of the separation wall cutting east into the West Bank south of Qalqiliya. According to Awda, for the past seven years, teachers were granted permits from the Israeli Civil Administration and could pass through the checkpoint relatively quickly to get to class. Awda said none had ever been subjected to a search.
Tuku road closed for hours after army Hummer flips
3/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Three Israeli soldiers were lightly injured when a military Hummer flipped near Tuqu, south of Bethlehem, after which the road was closed while soldiers received medical treatment. An Israeli military spokeswoman said the closure was the result of an accident, where soldiers hit the garden wall of a Palestinian home along the roadside, causing the jeep to overturn. Witnesses said the wall was damaged, and several military vehicles remained on the scene until at least 10:30am. The spokeswoman said the soldiers were receiving medical treatment at the scene, after which they were evacuated to Hadassa Medical Center in Jerusalem. The damaged home was in the Khirbet Al-Deir area, belonging to Salman Hamdan. No Palestinian injuries were reported. The army spokeswoman said the road was completely open by noon. . . . .
Work day to rebuilt bulldozed playground in Beit Jalla, Bethlehem successful
3/11/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals met in Beit Jallah today to rebuild a playground that bulldozers destroyed last week while clearing the path to complete the wall near Bethlehem. 12 people armed only with pick axes and hoes, flattened out the bulldozer tracks and deep holes left from uprooted trees, reset two swing sets, and brought in sand by the bucket for the new playground. Young olive trees were replanted in place of the mature trees that were destroyed during the first days of uprooting last week. The playground is used by many of the neighborhood children, and the family who owns the land welcomes people to enjoy the shade next to their home in the heat of the summer. As people worked in the sun today, army jeeps made rounds on the road above the home, and stood watch from the road on the opposing side of the highway. One jeep came down to the playground, but people continued their work as soldiers took pictures and asked for the Palestinian participants identification cards.
Palestinians Protest The Israeli Wall Surrounding The Gaza Strip
IMEMC - Wednesday March 10, 2010 - 16:20, Palestinians organized a nonviolent protest Wednesday in central Gaza the Israeli built wall around the costal enclave.
Gaza group escalates test of Israeli no-go area
3/10/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an -Palestinians and international solidarity activists in Gaza joined the challenge to Israel's enforced no-go zone in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday for the second day in a row. The rally, organized by the popular campaign against the separation fence in Gaza, gathered on Baghdad Street in the Ash-Shujaiyeh neighborhood of Gaza City, and walked as a group toward the border wall. On Tuesday, a group walked north toward the Erez crossing, where groups gather every Monday to test the Israeli no-go policy. The buffer zone takes up a large percentage of Gaza's Agricultural area, prohibiting access to farmers. Zakaria Al-Agha, member of the Fatah Central Committee, gave a speech as the group as it approached the eastern no-go zone, demanding the right of farmers to cultivate their land, and denouncing the near 20% of arable lands in the coastal enclave.
Israel’s Army Takes Over Land In Central West Bank For The Wall Construction
Uruknet March 9, 2010 - Israeli troops notified on Tuesday the villagers of Beit liqya, central West Bank, the army intentions to take over part of their land to build the wall. Beit liqya, a small Palestinian village located near Ramallah city, will lose up to 2.5 Acers of land, according to the military order. The army says the lands will...
Israel’s Army Takes Over Land In Central West Bank For The Wall Construction
IMEMC - Tuesday March 09, 2010 - 15:17, Israeli troops notified on Tuesday the villagers of Beit liqya, central West Bank, the army intentions to take over part of their land to build the wall.
Israeli court to hear criminal charges against MK Barakeh
3/9/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Tel Aviv court will hold the first hearing of criminal charges against Palestinian member of the Knessent Mohammed Barakeh on Wednesday. Barakeh, the head of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) in the Israeli parliament, was indicted in November 2009 for his involvement in anti-wall and anti-war political protests. Adalah, the legal center for Palestinians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, whose lawyers represent Barakeh, said in a statement that the charges brought against the MK are based on false evidence and "indicate bad intentions and are politically motivated. " The Palestinian MK is charged with allegedly assaulting riot police and military officers during demonstrations against the wall and the war on Lebanon, and the lack of accountability. The legal center said the indictment has been "completely refuted and rejected" by MK Barakeh.
Palestinians rally against Gaza buffer zone
3/9/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hundreds of Palestinians and international solidarity activists joined the weekly challenge to the enforced no-go zone in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, walking out toward the border wall, which has a 150-700meter 'buffer' patrolled by the Israeli military. The rally, organized by the popular campaign against the separation fence in Gaza, gathered at the Agricultural College and walked together toward the Erez crossing. Participants chanted slogans opposing the buffer zone, which eats into 15% of the available agricultural land in Gaza, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The march, usually held each week on Mondays, was postponed following International Women's Day. According to Sabir Za'anin, the campaign's coordinator, the weekly rally is an expression of refusal for Israel's decision to create a buffer zone on Gaza's borders.
Hamas, Fatah in Ofer prison make steps to unity
3/9/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas-affiliated prisoners at Israel's Ofer detention center near Ramallah received Fatah detainees on Monday, following a request made by all factions in the prison last week. On 4 March, leaders of the Hamas and Fatah parties inside the prison signed an agreement, mediated by Islamic Jihad affiliates, to halt the segregation of party members in the facility, and made an official request to be joined in the same ward. "Hamas-affiliated prisoners stood in line to receive their brothers from Fatah. They shook hands and embraced as each prisoner greeted the other amidst unprecedented happiness and good atmosphere since rivalry between Hamas and Fatah started," Ofer Hamas representative Hani Abu As-Siba told the Ahrar Center for Prisoners Studies and Human Rights. " We share the walls and chains in this jail and we all suffer here for the same cause. "
A Précis of Israeli Violations during February 2010
9 Mar 2010 - Palestine, March 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Department of International Relations /PLO has issued this "Précis of Israeli Violations during February 2010." No. Violation Notes 1. Willful Killings 3 Palestinian citizens were killed during Israeli bombardment against the Palestinian civilian communities in Gaza. 2. Wounds 79 Palestinian citizens, including participants in peace demonstrations against the apartheid wall were wounded....
European group may probe Israel decision to indict Arab MK
Ha'aretz 9 Mar 2010 - Mohammed Barakeh charged with allegedly attacking policeman during anti-separation fence rally.
Sha’ath hosts Italian delegation
3/8/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Nabil Sha'ath, a member of Fatah's Central Committee and the movement's commissioner for international relations, said Monday that popular and peaceful struggle against Israeli plans would continue. Speaking to a delegation from the Italian Province of Alessandria, Sha'ath called upon international solidarity activists to offer more support. The delegation also paid a visit to Fatah's commission for international relations. The delegation comprised politicians, clerics, lawmakers, and members of trade unions and municipal councils. Sha'ath reviewed developments in the region, pointing out that the Palestinian territories remain under occupation despite agreements signed with the Israelis. He briefed his guests on home demolitions, confiscation of Palestinian lands, construction of new residential units in settlements, and the continuation of the separation wall.
Fresh Middle East talks hit a wall
AlJazeera 8 Mar 2010 - Latest Israeli settlement expansion could halt newly agreed talks before they start.
Volunteer work at Qarawa Bani-Hassan prompts settler activity
Stop The Wall - Tens of Israeli settlers have returned to the sight of the springs at Qarawa Bani-Hassan; a village 14 Km west of Salfit, known for its beautiful landscape and water springs. This time, the settlers are supported by the Occupation army and bulldozers, and also by Israeli volunteers from Tel Aviv and Herzliya. They have brought construction materials to the spring and have started what looks like the first steps to building yet another settlement, and stealing more Palestinian land. [
Separation wall to isolate Bethlehem village from Beit Jala
3/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli authorities confiscated 300 dunums of Palestinian land in Beit Jala, Bethlehem to complete the separation wall's construction, the head of the Bethlehem anti-wall committee said on Sunday. Khalid Azza said once the wall's construction is complete, Beit Jala would be isolated from the neighboring Al-Walaja village, describing the act as "terrorism and piracy against Palestinian land. " "By continuing the build the separation wall in Beit Jalla, the Israeli government will crucify the city, just as Jesus Christ was crucified," he said. The Israeli High Court of Justice ordered a halt to the wall's construction in the area in 2004, but Azza said the Israeli government "brushes aside" all resolutions and continues to challenge the international community. Dozens of Palestinians and foreign solidarity activists rallied near Bethlehem on Wednesday, in protest of the. . . .
Journalists, residents hurt in Beit Jala anti-wall rally
3/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Three journalists and several demonstrators were injured by Israeli forces at a protest against Israel's construction of the separation wall in the town of Beit Jala, north of Bethlehem, on Sunday. Some 200 local protestors attended the rally, with residents attempting to plant 30 olive tree seedlings on land overturned by Israeli bulldozers. They were prevented by Israeli soldiers and border guards deployed in the area. Clashes ensued when young Palestinian men began hurling stones toward Israeli forces, who responded by firing rubber-coated bullets and tear-gas canisters. The march began from the city center on the road toward the Cremisan monestary, where Israeli bulldozers began overturning land to make way for the separation wall. Palestinian Legislative Council members Mustafa Barghouthi and Fayez As-Saqa joined the protest, as well as members of the Beit Jala. . .
Fayyad : Olive trees more deep-rooted than settlements
3/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - "The newest olive tree in our country is more deep-rooted than the fragile walls and settlements," said caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Saturday, as he met with members of the popular committee against the wall in Beit Jala, Bethlehem. Fayyad spoke with international activists and Palestinian committee members at the site of wall's latest construction in Beit Jala, condemning the Israeli annexation of land and uprooting of olive trees to build the separation wall. "Deep in the roots of these olive trees, there is something that reminds us that our people lived here from the beginning and will continue to the end," he told the gathered crowds of protestors. " We will continue to work and build in all Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, paying no attention to the unjust classifications and the so-called C zones. "
Quiet revolution that is freezing Palestinians out of Jerusalem
3/7/2010 - The Guardian - Evictions and planning decisions on the ground are jeopardising prospects for a two-state Middle East peace deal - Rory McCarthy, Jerusalem - In the brochure handed out by the mayor's office in Jerusalem last week, there were pretty sketches illustrating a development that would turn a poor, crowded area into a park, with streams, restaurants and hotels. It talked of reviving the area's "ancient glory" and returning the site to "an island of green" just outside the walls of the Old City. True, some houses would have to be demolished but they had been built illegally and anyway the plan was a "win-win" for both the residents and the city, said the mayor, Nir Barkat. Except that Jerusalem is not any city: it is at the heart of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and planning projects like this are political and potentially volatile.
Weekly Protest Video Round-Up
Palestine Monitor: 6 Mar 2010 - Palestinian, Israeli and international activists joined demonstrations in villages up and down the West Bank yesterday, marking the Global Week Against racism. A Palestinian boy was seriously wounded during An Nebi Saleh protest. Here is what happened. Bi'lin Once again, creativity distinguished Bi'lin protest. Activists dressed as figures representing Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela joined anti-Wall protesters in Bil'in, marching to commemorate their nonviolent struggle against occupation, oppression and colonialism. “ The struggles of Gandhi against oppression and occupation in India , Martin Luther King, Jr. against racism in the USA and Mandela against the apartheid in South Africa are all similar to Bili'n's ongoing struggle against occupation here” , a statement from the Popular Committee said. International and Israeli activists, delegations from the Freedom Theater in Jenin and the Palestinian People's Struggle Front also joined the rally. Protesters marched towards the separation barrier, chanting slogans and singing...
Beit Ummar rally teargassed by Israeli forces
3/6/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an -Dozens of Beit Ummar residents joined in protest at the eastern entrance of the village on Saturday, calling for an end to land confiscations and closed zones that prevent farmers from accessing agricultural lands. Palestine Solidarity Project spokesman Mohammad Ayad Awad said the group was met with tear gas when they reached the gate of the village. "Israeli soldiers fired soundand gas bombs on the rally, organized by the national committee against the wall in cooperation with the Palestinian solidarity project," Awad said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said a group of "60 rioters, not just Palestinians, were hurling rocks and blocking the main road in the Judea and Samaria region [the West Bank]," and that Israeli forces responded with "riot dispersal methods. "The incident continued for nearly an hour, as residents refused to leave the area and demanded their right to protest.
Egyptian police detain 8 migrants fleeing Israel
3/6/2010 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - Eight African migrants fleeing Israel were detained on Saturday, Egyptian authorities said, alongside four others attempting to enter the country. Egyptian security patrols deployed at the Egyptian border, near the Kerem Shalom crossing, and detained the eight trying to re-enter Egypt across the barbed-wire fence. Six Eritrean nationals, an Ethiopian and Sudanese national were identified. The migrants told Egyptian security that they attempted to flee Israel, unable to cope in the country. They had previously been detained by Egyptian security when they attempted to enter Israel the previous year, they said. Additionally, four Ethiopian nationals were detained trying to enter Israel, also near the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza, in search of work, they told Egyptian security officers. . . . .
Israel: End Crackdown on Anti-Wall ActivistsPeaceful Advocates Detained on Spurious Charges, Denied Due Process
Uruknet March 5, 2010 - Israel should immediately end its arbitrary detention of Palestinians protesting the separation barrier, Human Rights Watch said today. Israel is building most of the barrier inside the West Bank rather than along the Green Line, in violation of international humanitarian law. In recent months, Israeli military authorities have arbitrarily arrested and denied due process rights to...
HRW: End Crackdown on Anti-wall Activists
WAFA 6 Mar 2010 - JERUSALEM, March 6, 2010 (WAFA)– Israel should immediately end its arbitrary detention of Palestinians protesting the separation [wall], Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Friday. Israel is
Demonstrators Block Route 60 Near Beit Ummar
3/6/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Coordination Committee - Demonstrators protesting the deceleration of the Cave of the Patriarchs and Joseph's Tomb as Israeli heritage sites, manged to block the main road from Jerusalem to Hebron. In response to the inclusion of the two holy sites in the list of Israeli heritage sites, and fearing that this step paves the way for the cementing of Israeli hold over these places, a demonstration called by the Beit Omar National Committee managed to occupy Route 60 - the main road between Jerusalem and Hebron - and stop all movement in it. A military checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Ummar control access to Route 60, which, on the vicinity of the village, is fenced off. As demonstrators descended from the village, they toppled the fence between the village and the road. Protesters then continued to gather on Route 60, waving flags and chanting slogans.
Israel: end crackdown on Anti-Wall activists
3/6/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Human Rights Watch, 5 March - Israel should immediately end its arbitrary detention of Palestinians protesting the separation barrier, Human Rights Watch said today. Israel is building most of the barrier inside the West Bank rather than along the Green Line, in violation of international humanitarian law. In recent months, Israeli military authorities have arbitrarily arrested and denied due process rights to several dozen Palestinian anti-wall protesters. Israel has detained Palestinians who advocate non-violent protests against the separation barrier and charged them based on questionable evidence, including allegedly coerced confessions. Israeli authorities have also denied detainees from villages that have staged protests against the barrier, including children, access to lawyers and family members. Many of the protests have been in villages that lost substantial amounts of land when the barrier was built.
Five Youths Injured at Ni'lin Protest Including 11 Year Old Boy
IMEMC - Friday March 05, 2010 - 16:15, After midday prayers villagers of the village of Ni’lin, near Ramallah, were joined by Israeli and international protestors in their weekly protest of the separation wall built on land confiscated from the villagers.
Eleven Injured As Troops Attack Anti Wall Protest At Al Nabi Saleh Village, Northern West Bank
IMEMC - Friday March 05, 2010 - 15:18, Eleven people, amongst them two internationals, were injured, on Friday, by Israeli military fire when troops suppressed an anti wall protest at the al-Nabi Saleh village, northern West Bank.
Palestinian boy seriously hurt at protest
3/5/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - A Palestinian boy was seriously wounded in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, after he was shot in the head with a rubber-coated bullet, activists said. Ehab Fadel Barghouthi, 14 was among at least three injured when Israeli forces opened fire during a demonstration against the confiscation of land for Israel's separation wall. He remains unconscious and in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Ramallah hospital. Barghouthi was shot with a rubber-coated bullet that struck him in the forehead above his right eye and entered his skull, the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee reported. He was evacuated to a Salfit hospital unconscious, and from there to Ramallah. In a statement, the committee said border guard officers fired from the rooftop of a house they took over, and were in no immediate danger.
Protests: Troops fire tear gas at journalists, ’Ghandi’
3/5/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Delegations from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Freedom Theater in Jenin joined over 100 anti-wall ralliers in Bil'in on Friday, to mark Global Week Against racism. As the group finished Friday prayers and marched toward the site of the separation barrier, which cuts villagers off from their agricultural and village lands, the group was met with tear-gas canisters, organizers said. "The occupation forces fired tear gas towards the citizens of Bil'in, foreign peace activists and peace-loving Israelis," a statement from the popular committee said. First to be hit with the tear gas, organizers noted, were actors from the Jenin Theatre group dressed as figures from the anti-facism struggle around the world, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, jr. The statement alleged that Israeli troops "deliberately fired tear gas towards. . . "
Activists work to stop wall construction and uprooting of olive trees in Beit Jala
3/5/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Beit Jala Popular Committee, 4 March - In the early morning on March 2, 2010, Israeli bulldozers started uprooting ancient olive trees in the garden of a Palestinian family in the town of Beit Jala, North-West of Bethlehem, in order to make room for the construction of yet another section of the Apartheid Wall. Wednesday morning, the family, which had already lost a significant portion of its lands when Israel seized them to build the "by-pass road" 60 that connects the equally illegal settlements, found the little playground for the children in the garden destroyed and three olive trees directly in front of the house chopped off. A red cross was painted two meters away from the front door to signal where the Wall is designed to pass. The remaining olive trees had been marked with yellow-tags, to be uprooted another day.
for the children
In Gaza: 5 Mar 2010 - Arab Abu Ghazel, northern Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip: we are roughly 1 km from the norther border, in an area which was doused by bombs during Israel’s winter 2008-2009 massacre of Gaza. the area, with the norther border near, the sea a few kilometres away, and the eastern border within earshot, is regularly inundated with the Israeli army shelling and shooting that others hear less frequently, padded by city walls or cafe music. the children living here are among Gaza’s poorest, largely from bedouin families whose herding-based incomes have been been decimated by the absence of growth, fodder, for their flocks, by the bombings, by the siege. the children are traumatized multiple times over, by Israel’s war games, by their poverty, by their geographical isolation. GIVE and Local Initiative, two Gaza-based organizations, are visiting these 50 or so children, throwing a party today, alleviating their stress and boredom, if temporarily....
Anti Wall Protest Continue At Beit Jala Town, Southern West Bank.
IMEMC - Thursday March 04, 2010 - 13:07, Residents of Beit Jala town, southern West Bank, along with Israeli and international supporters chained themselves to olive tree in protest of the Israeli built wall on their land.
In photos: Protests continue in Beit Jala
3/4/2010 - MaanImages / Luay Sababa - 1-6: Palestinians and foreign activists replant uprooted olive trees during a protest against Israel's separation wall in the West Bank village of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, on 4 March 2010. Israeli forces were uprooting the trees to extend Israel's contentious West Bank separation wall. 7-17: A day earlier, Israeli border police clashed with Palestinian protesters as bulldozers continued work near Route 60 on the edge of town. The area includes over 2,000 olive trees, all owned by Palestinians in the predominantly Christian town between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. [end]
Troops Attack Protesters At A New Wall Section Construction Site Near Bethlehem
IMEMC - Wednesday March 03, 2010 - 18:00, Israeli soldiers attacked, Wednesday morning, home and land owners from Beit Jala town, near Bethlehem southern West Bank, when they protested the destruction of their land to build a new section of the separation wall.
Israeli bulldozers return to Beit Jala
3/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Dozens of Palestinians and foreign solidarity activists rallied near Bethlehem on Wednesday, in protest of the bulldozing of olive trees near a section of Israel's wall, which weaves through the occupied West Bank. Witnesses said Israeli forces used limited force against protesters who attempted to prevent the bulldozers from approaching the trees, planted in Beit Jala. Several demonstrators were dragged on the ground as they refused to leave, but no serious injuries were reported. Marwan Sha'ban of the local Popular Committee Against Settlements in Bethlehem said "we came here with our solidarity friends to say: stop attacking the land, uprooting trees, and forcing people out of their houses. "Sha'ban termed any construction on privately owned land as illegal, but said the Beit Jala construction flaunted the law, noting previous remarks by Fayyad Nasser, a lawyer who represents the Beit Jala municipality.
Israeli bulldozers enter Beit Jala for wall construction
3/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces enforced a closed military zone in Beit Jala, Bethlehem, on Tuesday, to assist bulldozers in overturning land in the area to make way for further construction of the separation wall, witnesses said. The bulldozers began operating on lands near the Cremisan Monastery road, said Leila Awad, whose home is the only one in the area. Awad told Ma'an she was surprised to see Israeli bulldozers, accompanied by police, enter her land and begin uprooting olive, walnut and lemontrees. Israeli forces previously confiscated one and half dunums of her land, Awad said, to build a tunnel connecting Jerusalem settlement blocs with the Kfar Etzion settlement in Bethlehem. The remainder of her land was confiscated to build the rest of the separation wall, only five meters from her home, she added. Awad said her family of nine is threatened with eviction. Journalists and cameramen were prohibited from accessing the area, as Israeli forces enforced a closed military zone. . . . .
Nazzal: Israel to approve 30,000 housing units on occupied land
3/3/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Israeli authorities aim to approve the construction of a 30,000 housing unit for religious Israelis in the industrial area of Atarot and Qalandiya, after excavating the site, the follow-up director of the popular committee against the wall and settlements said Tuesday. Mohammad Nazzal said the plan was uncovered by an Israeli journalist, who detailed his findings on Israeli TV. The decision, Nazzal said, was reached between the Israeli mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, and members of Knesset, the Israeli parliament. The new plan is a renewed attempt to "Judaize" Jerusalem and strip Palestinians of their rights in Jerusalem and the West Bank, Nazzal asserted. Atarot, near the West Bank village of Ramallah, is an Israeli industrial site in occupied East Jerusalem. The Israeli government exercises its authority in the area, despite lacking legal sovereignty over it.
Za’noon appointed speaker of Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union
3/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinian National Council (PNC) speaker Salim Za'noon was appointed the head of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Unionon Tuesday, replacing Sheikh Ahmad Al-Esa'y. The appointment came during the opening session of the union's 16th conference, held in the headquarters of the Egyptian parliament, attended by speakers of Arab parliaments, national parties, as well as representatives of diplomatic missions and NGOs. Za'noon delivered a speech applauding Egypt for hosting the conference, pinpointing the importance of the role of the AIPU and calling for more cooperation in order to maintain it. Furthermore, the new AIPU head urged the union to play a more significant role in countering the threats encompassing Palestine, particularly the recent Israeli decision to include the Ibrahimi Mosque and Rachel's Tomb, both in the West Bank, and the walls of occupied East Jerusalem's Old City, on a list of Israeli heritage sites.
In photos: Confrontation in Beit Jala
3/3/2010 - MaanImages / Luay Sababa - Israeli border police clash with Palestinian protesters at a demonstration against the separation wall in the West Bank city of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, on 3 March 2010. Bulldozers continued work on Wednesday near Route 60 on the edge of town. Israeli authorities were operating in an area that includes over 2,000 olive trees, all owned by Palestinians in the predominantly Christian city between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The operation threatens 35 family homes, municipality officials said. On Tuesday, Israeli forces enforced a closed military zone order to assist the ongoing operation. Journalists and photographers were prohibited from accessing the area, as the frequently employed designation also applies to press coverage.
Report: Settler lightly hurt by stones near Hebron
3/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A settler was injured on Wednesday after being struck by stones southwest of Hebron, news reports said. The Israeli news site Walla! reported that an Israeli citizen was lightly hurt and taken to a hospital to receive treatment. Israeli forces were searching the area for a Palestinian suspect, the report added. [end]
IOF conducts limited incursion in Beit Lahia
3 Mar 2010 - Gaza, March 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -Several Israeli military vehicles partly entered on Wednesday morning north of Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip. Local sources said that three tanks and two bulldozers moved 150 meters into the area, and began maintenance work on the border fence and razing citizens' land. Israeli occupation forces conduct incursions on daily basis,...
The Israeli Assault on Bethlehem
Alternative Information Center - Wednesday, 03 March 2010, The city of Bethlehem and its immediate surroundings are isolated by the Separation Wall Israel built on its lands and are further surrounded by the settlements of Gush Etzion to its west...
Palestinian Organizer Assaulted at an Israeli Checkpoint
3/3/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Co-ordination Committee, 2 March - Mahmoud Zwahre, a prominent member of the alMaasara Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, was brutally assaulted at the Israeli Container Checkpoint near Bethlehem this morning. Zwahre was on his way to a Ramallah meeting when his car was stopped. He was held for nearly two hours, during which he was kicked, punched and beaten using a rifle butt. Mahmoud Zwahre of the alMa'sara Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements was detained at the Container Checkpoint near Bethlehem this morning on his way to a meeting in Ramallah. Zwahre was detained after a Border Police officer positioned at the checkpoint recognized him from the weekly demonstrations held in alMa'sara for the past 3. 5 years. He was held for almost two hours, during which he was subjected to an aggressive search through his possessions and his. . .
MIDEAST: Picking Pebbles to Live Somehow
Eva Bartlett, Inter Press Service 3/2/2010
GAZA CITY, Mar 2, 2010(IPS) - They come by the hundreds every day to sand dunes and rubble sites to sift for pebbles, stones and sand that can be used in making concrete blocks. They lean into trash bins across the Strip, and wade through piles of rubbish scavenging for plastics, metals, and any bits worth reselling.
They venture dangerously close to the border fence to unlock metal and steel rods from their demolished home heaps. They are Gaza’s recyclers, and in a Strip where unemployment hovers at nearly 50 percent and poverty soars over 80 percent, environmental considerations are far from their minds. They do this work out of necessity.
Yousef, 14, leads two of his younger brothers in their daily hunt for concrete materials off the highway between Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.
"We live in Khan Younis and it takes about 30 minutes to get to this site. But we stop anywhere along the road to look for gravel," he says, stooping to sort rocks. One of his brothers works in Gaza’s tunnels, another has no work. "I’ve got five sisters, too. There’re 12 of us altogether, and my dad has no work."
Like many unemployed men in Gaza, Yousef’s father used to work in Israel, until Israeli authorities closed Gaza’s borders. Now, he infrequently works day labour for farmers when there is work, but the pay is low.
Moatassan, Yousef’s three-year-old brother, piles pebbles onto the donkey cart, adding his bit to the family income. "Each cartful is worth about 30 shekels (eight dollars)," Yousef says. "We can usually do two carts a day." more.. e-mail
Nonviolent protests are also taking place in Gaza
Mondoweiss - 3 Mar 2010 - Those people out there who still wonder where the Palestinian Mandela or Gandhi is should start paying attention to the numerous peaceful actions going on throughout Palestine. Non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation, akin to the weekly protests in Bil’in and Ni’lin against the illegal wall,...
The Israeli Assault on Bethlehem
Alternative Information Center - 3 Mar 2010 - Wednesday, 03 March 2010, The city of Bethlehem and its immediate surroundings are isolated by the Separation Wall Israel built on its lands and are further surrounded by the settlements of Gush Etzion to its west and south-west, Jerusalem to the north and two isolated settlements...
Israeli Military Starts To Install A New Wall Section Near Bethlehem
IMEMC - Tuesday March 02, 2010 - 18:22, Israeli troops started, on Tuesday, to build a new section of the Wall at the town of Beit Jala located in southern West Bank near Bethlehem city.
Sheikh Tamimi: Jerusalem is being ’Judaized’
3/2/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Chief Islamic Judge Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi on Tuesday called on Muslim and Christian leaders to take immediate action against what he described as Israel's attempts to "Judaise" Jerusalem. In remarks at a meeting with Christian leaders at his Al-Eizariya office in East Jerusalem, the sheikh paid particular attention to Israeli plans in Jerusalem by "the so-called municipal council" to demolish over 90 Palestinian homes in the Al-Bustan neighborhood. Tamimi alleged that Israel sought to remove the occupied part of the city's indigenous residents to give it a "Jewish look. "He warned of the addition of further Christian and Muslim sites to the Israeli heritage list, following the inclusion of the Ibrahimi Mosque, Rachel's Tomb and the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem -- all sites located in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Building international solidarity during Israeli Apartheid Week
Uruknet March 1, 2010 - In March 2005, a group of activists from the Arab Student Collective at the University of Toronto launched the first Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW). The aim of the week was two-fold. On one hand, it sought to break the wall of silence and misrepresentation around what was happening in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip...
PRC: Israeli shelling kills Gaza fighter
3/2/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli shells killed a member of the Popular Resistance Committees' (PRC) military wing in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip and injured a second on Monday. Abu Atayam, the spokesperson of the PRC's An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, said 20-year-old Muhammad Ghabein was killed while on an "observation mission," and monitoring Israeli activity at the Gaza border. Witnesses said four shells were fired at the area. Medical sources at the Kamal Udwan Hospital said a second man was injured by the border area shelling. Locals in the village said several shells were fired at a residential area. An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an "earlier this afternoon an IDF force identified a squad of Palestinian terror operatives preparing to plant an explosive device along the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip. The force on the scene fired tank shells toward the terror squad. One operative was killed by IDF fire and two were injured. "
Israel approves plan to let sponsors beam messages onto Western Wall
Ha'aretz 1 Mar 2010 - Most people go to the Western Wall to pray, but now some will also head there to pay. ...
Russell Tribunal: Holding the International Community to Account
Palestine Chronicle: 1 Mar 2010 - By Frank Barat Today, the first session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RTP) will be held in Barcelona. The RTP is a peoples' tribunal focusing not on Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL) such as the Fourth Geneva Convention, but on the obligations of the international community of signatory states which sustain and enable Israel's continuous violations of international law. Israel has violated more than 60 UN resolutions and countless legal and diplomatic calls to abide by international law in relation to the expansion of illegal settlements, denial of the right of return and the continuing occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Syrian Golan Heights. Dozens of reports, investigations and inquiries have produced evidence of alleged Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity, including massacres, collective punishment, home demolitions and extrajudicial killings on a cyclical scale over the past 62 years. In 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion finding Israel's wall in the West Bank illegal and contrary to international law. The opinion was the key tenet of a 54-page document covering illegal settlements, the appropriation of natural resources and Israel's violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention over the past 40 years, and reminded that IHL signatory states had an obligation "not to recognize the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by such construction" and "to ensure compliance by Israel with...
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