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Fatah to join Ni’lin protest
12/30/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Fatah's local Ramallah branch plans to bring members to the weekly anti-wall demonstration in the West Bank village of Ni'lin on Friday to mark the movement's 45th anniversary. A statement from the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee quoted a senior Fatah organizer saying, "Through 15 years of negotiations all we Palestinians have gained is the cementing of the reality of occupation through more settlements, segregated roads and the Wall. " "There is no other choice for us but struggle, and there is no other path for the people to thread, than that of resuming the strategies of the first Intifada," the official said. The announcement follows calls from Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah officials for popular demonstrations against the Israeli occupation. The movement's convention in Bethlehem in August saw a number of top leaders, including President. . .
Demonstration demanding the release of Palestinian political prisoners to be held in Nablus on Tuesday, 29 December
12/28/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - A demonstration will be held in Nablus on Tuesday 29 December 2009 to demand the release of all Palestinian prisoners. Almost 8,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons. Among them are grassroots activists Jamal Juma' and Mohammad Othman from the Stop the Wall Campaign, Adeeb Abu Rahmah and Abdallah Abu Rahmah from the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements and Wa'el Al Faqeeh from the Tanweer Cultural Centre in Nablus, imprisoned during a recent wave of arrests conducted by the Israeli military targeting the non-violent popular resistance leaders. Demonstrators will gather outside of the Red Crescent Building at 11am and demand the release of Wa'el al Faqeeh, renowned throughout the Nablus region for his tireless campaigning and non-violent action against the Israeli occupation.
Barghouthi: Anti-wall protests should be boosted
Palestine Monitor - 26 Dec 2009 - Bethlehem – Ma'an – Palestinians living in areas threatened by the Israeli separation wall should be empowered to resist the theft of their land, Palestinian National Initiative Secretary-General Mustafa Barghouthi told demonstrators on Friday. Barghouthi was speaking at a protest activity in the village of Al-Ma'sara,...
Six Palestinians Killed in Nablus, Gaza
IMEMC 27 Dec 2009 - Saturday December 26, 2009 - 14:40, Israeli soldiers shot and killed on Saturday six Palestinians in two separate attacks in the northern West Bank City of Nablus, and in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Three Palestinians were executed in Nablus, and three were shot and killed near the ‘border fence’ in northern Gaza.
Nasrallah: Egypt must stop Gaza border wall
12/27/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday called on Egypt to stop building a steel wall along the Gaza border that could obstruct smuggling tunnels which provide a lifeline for the blockaded territory. "In addition to the siege there has been news about [building] a steel wall " to terminate the thin veins which are giving some life and some hope to Gaza," he said, according to Reuters. "We call on the government in Egypt and the leadership to stop the wall and flooding the tunnels and to end the siege otherwise it should be condemned by all Arabs and the Muslims," he said. The tunnel industry has mushroomed since Israel's 2007 imposition of a blockade, slashing imports of goods to one-fifth of previous levels. The tunnels now provide medicine, food, fuel, appliances and other items in far greater quantities Israel allows though official channels.
PRC: We’ll hold Shalit until demands met
12/27/2009 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) vowed on Sunday to keep Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit captive until Israel meets Palestinian demands. The PRC is one of the factions that have been holding Shalit since 2006. The groups, led by Hamas, are demanding the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for his freedom. The group said in a statement issued on the anniversary of Israel's war on Gaza, "The Palestinians will stay and will not bow and will gain triumph. ""These sacrifices are the price to be paid for triumph and freedom," it added. The group also denounced a steel wall Egypt is building underneath the border with the Gaza Strip in a bid to cut off underground smuggling tunnels. "The metal wall Egypt is building funded by US and planned by Israel is an assault on the life of the Palestinians in Gaza," the group said.
(16- 22 Dec. 2009)
PCHR During the reporting period, Israeli occupation forces used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders, to protest the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
Haniyeh urges Mubarak to stop building fence
YNet News 27 Dec 2009 - Hamas prime minister calls for prosecution of Israeli officials, calls on Egyptian president to 'release us from the siege'
Barghouthi: Anti-wall protests should be boosted
Palestine Monitor - 26 Dec 2009 - Bethlehem – Ma'an – Palestinians living in areas threatened by the Israeli separation wall should be empowered to resist the theft of their land, Palestinian National Initiative Secretary-General Mustafa Barghouthi told demonstrators on Friday. Barghouthi was speaking at a protest activity in the village of Al-Ma'sara,...
Israel to raze 12 Palestinian buildings near Jenin
12/25/2009 - Jenin - Ma'an - Israeli authorities have delivered demolition orders to 12 residents of the West Bank village of Barta'a Ash-Sharqiya, a community isolated between the Israeli separation wall and the Green Line near Jenin. A member of the village's Municipal Council, Tawfiq Qabaha, said that Israeli forces "broke into several homes, searched and ransacked their contents, and handed over demolition orders for homes and other structures. "Qabaha identified the residents affected by the orders as: Samir Muhammad Qabaha, Nael Ahmad Qabaha, Firas Ghaleb Qabaha, Muhammad Yousef Qabaha, Omer Mahmoud Qabaha, Rifat Saleh Qabaha, Yaser Qabaha, Raja Lutfi Qabaha, Ahmad Lutfi Qabaha, Muhammad Zuheir Qabaha, Mohammad Subhi Qabaha, and Seri Lutfi Qabaha. Israel effectively bans Palestinian construction in 70% of the West Bank's area C, or about 44% of the total land of the West Bank,. . .
’Santa’ protests Israeli wall in Bil’in
12/25/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinians dressed as Santa Claus marched against Israel's separation wall on Christmas day in the West Bank village of Bil'in, west of Ramallah. Demonstrators carried a Christmas tree decorated with spent gas canisters and stun grenades fired by Israeli soldiers at previous demonstrations over the past five years. Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at the Santa Clauses. The protesters were joined this week by a senior Fatah leader, Abbas Zaki, the party's former envoy in Lebanon. According to a statement from the demonstrators, the weapon-garnished tree was carried in support of Abdullah Abu Rahmah, the coordinator of the Bil'in Committee Against the Wall and Settlements. Rahmah is currently in an Israeli military prison and is being charged with weapons possession for creating an art exhibit out of discharged tear-gas canisters and stun grenades.
Gaza rallies denounce Egypt’s border wall
12/25/2009 - Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinians in Gaza staged mass demonstrations on Friday against Egypt's plan to build a metal wall along its border with the territory. In a speech to one such demonstration Hamas leader Hammad Ar-Ruqab urged Egypt to open the Rafah border crossing and facilitate the entry of food and construction materials needed to rebuild Gaza from last year's Israeli offensive. "We in the Hamas movement announce our deep shock at the construction of the wall which bypasses every diplomatic rule. Egypt is building the wall between Gaza and Egypt in a sensitive period of time," he said. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the demonstrations "come in protest of themetal wall that is being built on the borders with Gaza under American, French and European supervision. " It was revealed earlier in December that Egypt is building a steel wall intended to cut off a network. . .
Barghouthi: Anti-wall protests should be boosted
12/25/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinians living in areas threatened by the Israeli separation wall should be empowered to resist the theft of their land, Palestinian National Initiative Secretary-General Mustafa Barghouthi told demonstrators on Friday. Barghouthi was speaking at a protest activity in the village of Al-Ma'sara, south of Bethlehem, in which residents decorated a Christmas tree on land slated to be seized by the Israeli military. For decorations the protesters used spent stun grenades and tear gas canisters fired by the Israeli army while dispersing previous demonstrations. Dozens of locals along with international protesters clashed with Israeli soldiers at the weekly demonstration. Barghouthi praised the residents of Ma'sara, Bil'in, Ni'lin, and other villages where demonstrations against the separation wall take place each Friday after the Muslim noon prayer.
[uruknet.info] 'Santa' protests Israeli wall in Bil'in
Uruknet December 25, 2009 - Palestinians dressed as Santa Claus marched against Israel's separation wall on Christmas day in the West Bank village of Bil'in, west of Ramallah. Demonstrators carried a Christmas tree decorated with spent gas canisters and stun grenades fired by Israeli soldiers at previous demonstrations over the past five years. Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at the Santa...
Desmond Tutu calling for immediate release of Bil’in activist Abdallah Abu Rahmah
12/25/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - 24 December - Elders' chair, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has expressed his deep concern about the arrest and indictment of Abdallah Abu Rahmah of Bil'in and has called for his unconditional release. Abu Rahmah is a school teacher and coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements, which has carried out a five year campaign of non-violent protest and legal challenge against the wall that separates Israel from the West Bank. "My fellow Elders and I met Abu Rahmah and his colleague Mohammad Khatib in August when we visited Bil'in," said Desmond Tutu. "We were impressed by their commitment to peaceful political action, and their success in challenging the wall that unjustly separates the people of Bil'in from their land and their olive trees. I call on Israeli officials to release Abu Rahmah immediately and unconditionally. . . "
[uruknet.info] Bethlehem's modern nativity scene - crib, wise men and separation wall
Uruknet December 23, 2009 - The shelves of Bethlehem's tourist shops this winter are filled with the gifts you might expect. There are countless carved olive-wood crucifixes, angels and last suppers. But there are also unexpected nativity scenes complete with Joseph, Mary, crib, wise men and large Israeli concrete wall with military watchtower. Israel's vast separation barrier is at its most...
Bethlehem's modern nativity scene – crib, wise men and separation wall
PNN 24 Dec 2009 - Israel's security barrier, complete with looming watchtowers, has found its way into the nativity scenes on sale to tourists. The shelves of Bethlehem's tourist shops this winter are filled with the gifts you might expect. There are countless carved olive-wood crucifixes, angels and last suppers. But there are also unexpected nativity scenes complete with Joseph, Mary, crib, wise men and large Israeli...
For Palestinians, possession of used IDF arms is now a crime
12/24/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Amira Hass, Haaretz - The Israel Defense Forces consider it a crime punishable by imprisonment for a Palestinian to possess used IDF weapons, according to an indictment filed by the military prosecutor against Abdullah Abu Rahma of the West Bank town of Bil'in. Abu Rahma, 39, is coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall, which has been holding demonstrations against construction of the separation fence on the village's land. A teacher by profession, he was arrested by IDF troops on December 10 and indicted in a military court last Tuesday. In addition to charges of incitement and throwing stones, Abu Rahma was charged with illegal weapons possession due to his alleged possession of M16 rifle bullets and gas and concussion grenades – which, the indictment said, "the accused and his associates used for an exhibition that showed people the means used by the security forces. "
U.S. rabbi involved in sex scandal led fight against Israel conversions
Ha'aretz 24 Dec 2009 - It is hard to imagine a more embarrassing situation in which to find an exclusive ultra-Orthodox organization - a group that was a standard-bearer in the fight against "breaches in the wall of conversion" and "the penetration of complete gentiles into the vineyard of Israel." ...
Bil’in protest leader indicted over spent tear gas canisters
12/24/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli prosecutors filed an indictment in a military courtagainst Abdullah Abu Rahmah on Monday, a leader of popular demonstrations against the Israeli separation wall in the West Bank village of Bil'in. The charges against Abu Rahmah included incitement, stone throwing and arms possession, according to his attorney, Gaby Lasky. The arms referred to in the indictment were spent tear gas canisters fired by the Israeli army at protesters over four years of weekly demonstrations. "The army shoots at unarmed demonstrators, and when they try to show the world the violence used against them by collecting presenting the remnants - they are persecuted and prosecuted," Lasky said in a statement. "What's next? Charging protesters money for the bullets shot at them? "Abu Rahmah is the coordinator of Bil'in's Popular Committee, the body that organizes weekly. . .
West of the wall, settlement building continues
12/23/2009 - Qalqiliya - Ma'an - Palestinians in the Qalqiliya district, where Israel's separation wall extends 22 kilometers into the West Bank, have watched rapid construction in the settlement of Oranit continue despite the call for a partial freeze on building. A spokesman from Israel's Civil Administration confirms officials are "familiar with the issue and are working to resolve it. " The Oranit settlement is located just beyond the Green Line, on lands internationally recognized as Palestinian, (just below the Matan settlement pictured in the series above), Oranit's 6,328 (circa 2008) settler inhabitants are preparing to receive hundreds more as housing units are completed. Dozens of stop work orders handed were handed over in the area by the Israeli military and police, an Israeli source confirmed. In spite of this, Palestinian residents observed ongoing construction.
PFLP: Cairo must reject pressure to build Gaza wall
12/23/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The wall Egypt is constructing along the Gaza border is unwarranted, unjustified and warns of dire consequences, senior Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) leaderAbu Ahmad Fuad said on Wednesday. "Egypt must overcome the external pressures pushing the construction of the wall forward," Fuad said, alluding to Israel and the United States, believed to be behind the attempt to thwart the smuggling tunnel industry, currently the lifeline for a Gaza Strip under tight Israeli siege. He rejected the Egyptian justification that the wall was in-line with requirements set forth by the Middle East Quartet. Officers from the Quartet office in Jerusalem were unable to confirm or deny the claim. In a statement, Fuad called the decision to build the wall "weird," saying he was "surprised, since Egypt did not even present the issue to the Gaza factions before they went ahead with construction.
[uruknet.info] Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory No. 50/2009 (16- 22 Dec 2009)
Uruknet December 23, 2009 - Israeli occupation forces used forced to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized to protest the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank. Israeli forces conducted 20 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Israeli forces arrested 23 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children. Israeli naval troops have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip....
Condemnation of Israeli Arrests of Human Rights Activists in the West Bank
Alternative Information Center 23 Dec 2009 - On 15 December 2009, Jamal Juma', Coordinator of the Stop the Wall campaign, was seized from his home by Israel forces and placed in detention. On 21 December, the Military Court at the Russian Compound in...
Display of used tear gas canisters shot by the army earns Bil’in activist an arms charge in Israeli military court
12/23/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Coordination Committee - Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a school teacher and coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall, was indicted in an Israeli military court yesterday. Abu Rahmah was slapped with an arms possession charge for collecting used tear gas canisters shot at demonstrators in Bil'in by the army and showcasing them in his home. An indictment was filed in a West Bank military court yesterday for incitement, stone throwing and arms possession charges against Bilin Popular Committee coordinator, Abdallah Abu Rahmah. On receiving the indictment Adv. Gaby Lasky, Abu Rahmahs lawyer said that the army shoots at unarmed demonstrators, and when they try to show the world the violence used against them by collecting presenting the remnants they are persecuted and prosecuted. Whats next? Charging protesters money for the bullets shot at them?
Danger: Popular struggle
12/23/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Amira Hass, Haaretz - There is an internal document that has not been leaked, or perhaps has not even been written, but all the forces are acting according to its inspiration: the Shin Bet, Israel Defense Forces, Border Police, police, and civil and military judges. They have found the true enemy who refuses to whither away: The popular struggle against the occupation. Over the past few months, the efforts to suppress the struggle have increased. The target: Palestinians and Jewish Israelis unwilling to give up their right to resist reign of demographic separation and Jewish supremacy. The means: Dispersing demonstrations with live ammunition, late-night army raids and mass arrests. Since the beginning of the year, 29 Palestinians have been wounded by IDF snipers while demonstrating against the separation fence. The snipers fired expanding bullets, despite an explicit 2001 order from. . . .
Bethlehem's modern nativity scene crib, wise men and separation wall
The Guardian 23 Dec 2009 - Israel's security barrier, complete with looming watchtowers, has found its way into the nativity scenes on sale to tourists The shelves of Bethlehem's tourist shops this winter are filled with the gifts you might expect. There...
Bethlehem wall kills Christmas for Palestine
Daily Star 23 Dec 2009 Christian visitors coming to Bethlehem this week to celebrate the birth of Christ will encounter a concrete wall with watchtowers, built by Israel between nearby Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity. In a message to remind the world of the Israeli barrier's existence, the Palestine Liberation Organization said the wall symbolized a "Christmas without hope" for the ancient city.
Abbas: I will never allow a third Intifada against Israel
PIC 23 Dec 2009 - Mahmoud Abbas bragged, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, about his war on the resistance, affirming that there would be no new Intifada against Israel as long as he is in office.
Condemnation of Israeli Arrests of Human Rights Activists in the West Bank
Alternative Information Center - 23 Dec 2009 - On 15 December 2009, Jamal Juma', Coordinator of the Stop the Wall campaign, was seized from his home by Israel forces and placed in detention. On 21 December, the Military Court at the Russian Compound in Jerusalem extended his detention by a further four days. Although...
Bahar: Egypt’s wall signals new Israeli attack on Gaza
12/22/2009 - Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian Legislative Council member Ahmad Bahar called for an urgent meeting between all parliamentary blocks on Wednesday to discuss the consequences of the Egyptian wall being built along Gaza's southern border. "The construction of Egypt's wall is a sign of an impending attack on Gaza by Israel," Bahar said. The wall, 10 kilometers long and 24 meters deep, will run along the Gaza-Egypt border, and aims to cut off the passage into Egypt of hundreds of smuggling tunnels which have been for two years Gaza's lifeline as Israel's siege continues. Bahar said he considered the building of the wall as a sign for another Israeli attack against the Gaza Strip. Bahar called the construction of the wall a move that goes against the good relations between Gaza and Egypt, and he urged Egyptian authorities to reconsider their decision.
Abbas: I prevented intifada during Gaza war
12/23/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview published on Tuesday that he stopped a third Palestinian intifada from occurring during the Israeli offensive against Gaza last winterSpeaking to New York's Wall Street Journal, Abbas also said he would not allow another uprising to take place as long as he stays in office. "I will not allow a new intifada. As long as I'm in office, I will not allow anybody to start a new intifada. Never never. But if I leave, it's no longer my responsibility and I can't make any guarantees. It could happen," he said. "It's not my business to follow up. I promise and I can do. And I already promised and I did during the invasion of Gaza. At that time everybody asked me to go to a third intifada, but I prevented anybody from doing it. "In the interview he also denied reports that the CIA is working closely with PA security forces who torture detainees.
PA takes diplomats on Bethlehem ’occupation tour’
12/22/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A delegation of 15 foreign diplomats and ambassadors toured the Bethlehem area on Tuesday ahead of Christmas. Rafiq Al-Husseini, head of Palestinian president's office, accompanied the visitors, and explained that the visit was meant as a check-up on the situation in Bethlehem in light of the "abusive practices" of Israel including construction of the separation wall, settlement expansion, and military checkpoints. Diplomats from Sweden, Britain, Chile, Poland, and Italy were participated in the tour, according to Al-Husseini. He said the tour would last two hours. The delegation is slated to visit lands confiscated for the separation wall near Rachel's Tomb, the Cremisan monastery, the village of Al-Walaja, and the town of Beit Sahour.
[uruknet.info] Video: Israeli repression wave targets activists Israel's recent wave of repression led to arrest of Jamal Juma', coordinator of Stop the Wall Campaign.
Uruknet December 22, 2009 - In recent months, since the public push for The Goldstone Report, Israeli authorities have intensified their repression of activists on both sides of the segregation wall. Though Israel tries Palestinians and Israelis under separate legal systems, with the former being prosecuted in a military court and the later in domestic, civil courts, both have seen an...
MIDEAST: ‘’What About the Mailboxes?’’
IPS OCCUPIED EAST JERUSALEM, Dec 22 (IPS) - The sun is about to set over Jabel Mukaber. The call of the muezzin envelops the valley beneath Naim Aweisat’s balcony and, rolling from the mosques of Abu Dis across the wall in the West Bank, rebounds from the stark concrete Israeli security...
The separation wall | Austen Ivereigh
The Guardian 22 Dec 2009 - I would get rid of the Israeli separation wall, not just for Christmas, but for all our sakes Within spitting distance of the very spot Jesus Christ was born is one of the world's great monstrosities, "...
Coordinator Of Stop The Wall Campaign Imprisoned By Israel
IMEMC 22 Dec 2009 - Tuesday December 22, 2009 - 05:00, Jamal Juma’, coordinator of the Stop the Wall Campaign, in Israeli jail – the latest in Israel’s attempt to silence Palestinian non violent resistance, Israeli security first summoned Juma’ for interrogation at midnight of December 15.
[uruknet.info] Free Jamal Juma'! - Free the anti-Wall prisoners!
Uruknet December 21, 2009 - Jamal Juma' was arrested by Israeli authorities on December 16. This arrest follows the imprisonment of Mohammad Othman, another Stop the Wall activist, and Abdallah Abu Rahmeh, a leading figure in the Bil'in popular committee against the Wall, as well as dozens more that are currently in prison for their action and advocacy against the Wall....
Jamal Juma’, Coordinator of the Stop the Wall Campaign, In Israeli Jail
Alternative Information Center 21 Dec 2009 - Israeli security first summoned Juma’ for interrogation at midnight of December 15. Hours later, they brought him back to his home. Juma’ was handcuffed while soldiers searched his house for two hours as his wife and...
Hamas vows to gain control over militants shooting to Egypt
12/19/2009 - Gaza - Ma'an - Minister of the Interior with Gaza's de facto government Fathi Hammad promised efforts were being made to control the actions of gunmen shooting an Egyptian workers constructing a steel wall along the Egypt-Gaza border. Hammad's promise came Saturday following the second report from Egyptian security of Gaza gunmen firing shots at workers. Construction of the 25-meter-deep and 1 ten km long steel wall is said to be an attempt to stifle the proliferation of smuggling tunnels running beneath the Rafah border. The promise was made by Hammad over the telephone with Egyptian government officials, as he expressed concern over the recent events at the border. Earlier in the day Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum announced to Egypt that they had less to be scared of from Gaza as from the Israeli occupation.
Barhoum to Egypt: Occupation more of a threat than Hamas
12/19/2009 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum assured Egypt on Saturday that the Israeli occupation of Palestine was more of a threat to the country than Hamas. The comments came following reports from Egyptian security that Gaza snipers shot at workers building a new 25-meter-deep and ten km long steel wall along the Rafah border. The wall and its underground component are said to be an attempt to halt the smuggling trade flourishing on the tunnels beneath the Egypt-Gaza border. The attack on the wall-builders was the second reported in four days. "Gaza does not represent a danger to anyone" Barhoum said in relation to both the building of the wall and concern over sniper attacks on Egyptian workers. Barhoum called the construction of the wall a failure of the international community to realize the establishment of international forces along the border.
Four houses raided in military incursion to West Bank villages Bil’in and Ni’ilin
12/19/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Coordination Committee - The Palestinian villages of Bil'in and Ni'lin have been invaded by the Israeli military in the early hours of Saturday, 19 December 2009. Soldiers entered both villages at 2. 30am and raided houses of four families. In Bil'in, 5 military jeeps carrying about 30 soldiers entered the village and invaded the house of Yassin Yassin. Family members, woken up by the armed soldiers at the dark of night, were forced to leave the house and stand outside in cold and rain. The raid was conducted in order to arrest Yassin Yassin, wanted for his participation in the village's regular Friday demonstrations against the Wall and settlements. As Yassin was not present in the house at the time of the raid, the soldiers left a note ordering him to attend questioning at the Ofer prison. Soldiers then continued to conduct a search in a second house.
Dozens Suffered Tear Gas Inhalation In The Bil'in Weekly Protest
IMEMC 18 Dec 2009 - Friday December 18, 2009 - 15:39, The villagers of Bil'in in the central West Bank staged on Friday their weekly protest against the Israeli wall built on their land.
Bil’in Popular Committee awarded for creativity, continues protests
12/18/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Bil'in's Popular Committee Against the Wall was awarded the "Arab Creativity Award for 2009" at a ceremony in Kuwait last weelk, and celebrated the win by continuing to hold anti-wall protests on Friday in the village. Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) joined the anti-wall protest in Bil'in on Friday, marking the 42nd anniversary of the founding of the party, protest leaders said. The party leaders, members and supporters were joined by villagers from Bil'in and locals from neighboring villages, along with international and Israeli supporters of the call to stop construction of the separation wall and illegal Israeli settlements. Rain and cold weather did not deter the large crowd, who approached the site of the separation barrier carrying banners calling for its destruction.
[uruknet.info] The price of peace: Interview with detained activist
Uruknet December 18, 2009 - Twenty-three-year-old Sami from al-Essawaya village near Nablus has always believed in peaceful coexistence with Israelis. However, he and his family have paid a dear price for his convictions. "I worked for six years inside Israel," he said, "just in supermarkets, any work I could find. Me and my friends would jump over the wall at Qalandiya...
Israeli army fires rubber-coated steel bullets at demonstrators celebrating the Arab Creativity Award for Bil’in
12/19/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, 18 December - This Friday the demonstration organized by the Popular Committee against the Wall was joined by dozens of leaders, members and supporters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, marking its 42nd anniversary. As every Friday a number of international and Israeli peace activists and residents of Bil'in and neighboring villages took part in the protest. After the Friday prayers, a joyful and wet group of demonstrators carried bannerscondemning the Israeli occupation and its repressive practices while they marched towards the Wall built on Bil'in's land. Slogans and speeches called for national unity and emphasized the principles of the Palestinian state. When the demonstrators approached the Wall the Israeli army fired sound bombs and tear-gas grenades and after a while the soldiers proceeded to fire rubber-coated steel bullets.
The ongoing repression of Palestinian protesters
12/18/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Jonathan Pollak, Huffington Post - On a pitch black early December night, seven armored Israeli military jeeps pulled into the driveway of a home in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Dozens of soldiers, armed and possibly very scared, came to arrest someone they were probably told was a dangerous, wanted man – Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a high school teacher at the Latin Patriarchate School and a well-known grassroots organizer in the village of Bil'in. Every Friday, for the past five years, Abdallah Abu Rahmah has led men, women and children from Bil'in, carrying signs and Palestinian flags, along with their Israeli and international supporters, in civil disobedience and protest marches against the seizure of sixty percent of the village's land for Israel's construction of its wall and settlements. Bil'in has become a symbol of civilian resistance to Israel's occupation for Palestinians and international grassroots.
Egypt: Shots fired at crew building Gaza wall
12/17/2009 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - Government workers constructing a massive metal barrier along the Egypt-Gaza border came under fire from Palestinian gunmen on Thursday, Egyptian security sources said. The gunfire came from the Palestinian side of the border, damaging some construction equipment but causing no injuries, the sources said. The incident took place north of the Rafah border crossing, they said. It was revealed last week that Egypt is constructing a steel wall along the border that will extend underground in an attempt to cut off a network of smuggling tunnels. The tunnels are a lifeline for Palestinians living under an Israeli-led blockade. Hamas-allied security forces on the Palestinian side declared a state of emergency, sources reported. On the Egyptian side, a large number of security officers and armored vehicles were reportedly dispatched to the area where the shooting took place.
MIDEAST: Occupation Eats Away Israel's Heart and Soul
IPS JERUSALEM, Dec 15 (IPS) - After Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank torched a mosque and desecrated copies of the Quran in the Palestinian village of Yasuf, last Friday morning, they ran into a wall of condemnation.
Israeli rightists plan Al-Aqsa intrusion
12/16/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Hundreds of right-wing Jewish Israelis are expected to descend on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Thursday, groups told the Jerusalem Post. A report published on Tuesday in the Israeli daily cited an unnamed group of activists saying they hoped hundreds would show up for a day of organized tours and prayers at the Western Wall and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The event is being termed a "mass pilgrimage" honoring the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Palestinian analyst and reporter Amjad Abu Arafeh addressed concerns over the event on Palestinian radio, saying "It seems this is now a usual event in Jerusalem, threatening the Al-Aqsa Mosque. These groups try to invade Al-Aqsa daily to make their prayers there. "Only yesterday several settlers invaded the yards of Al-Aqsa mosque but the Waqf guards and the guards of the mosque were able to get them out," he noted.
MIDEAST: Occupation Eats Away Israel's Heart and Soul
IPS JERUSALEM, Dec 15 (IPS) - After Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank torched a mosque and desecrated copies of the Quran in the Palestinian village of Yasuf, last Friday morning, they ran into a wall of condemnation.
Die on my Palestine land
12/16/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Jody McIntyre, Ctrl. Alt. Shift - Fatima Mohammed Yassen, aged 49, is a farmer from Bil'in. Despite the crippling Israeli occupation of her village, she continues to work her land, along with her husband, on a daily basis. Jody McIntyre spoke to Im Khamis, as she is known to local villagers, in her home in Bil'in: Did you have land behind the Wall? Yes! BeforeIsrael started construction of the Wall in Bil'in, my family had 45 dunams (1 dunam = 1000 square metres) of land, all of them filled with olive trees. My husband's family had 50 dunams, which were a mixture of olive groves and vegetable patches, as well as another 50 dunams of land which was stolen after 1967 (after the war of this year, Israel began it's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza). When the Israeli army were building the Wall on our land, they stole land. . .
Berlin Wall Fall, while Wall Ruin Shameful Silence Dividing Palestine
12/16/2009 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - ROME, December 16, 2009 (WAFA)- On November 9th 2009, the world celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. While we rejoiced one wall ruin a shameful silence prevailed regarding a wall that stands today, dividing Palestine, Luisa Morgantini former Vice President of the European Parliament wrote. On November 9th 2009, the world celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall Deplored by millions, the wall became a symbol of violence and separation that over time found its cement bricks decorated in images of freedom and resistance, she added, whilst we rejoiced one wall ruin a shameful silence prevailed regarding a wall that stands today, dividing Palestine. 9 metres high this apartheid Wall violates international law and yet Israel continues its construction undeterred by appeals, resolutions and the advisory opinions of the UN Assembly.
Occupation Threatens Secularism in Israel
12/16/2009 - Antiwar.com - JERUSALEM After Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank torched a mosque and desecrated copies of the Koran in the Palestinian village of Yasuf last Friday morning, they ran into a wall of condemnation. The attackers were consensually branded as extremists, even by the usually uncompromising settlers and their representatives in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government. President Shimon Peres went so far as to say that the attack was a blot on "our nations most intrinsic value," respect even in times of conflict between Jews and Muslims for rival faiths. The incident sparked a heated debate over what the settlers who are engaged in a bitter campaign against the Netanyahu governments recent decision to partially freeze for 10 months settlement building define as the "price tag" for that temporary clampdown on their expansion.
US army installs Gaza monitoring system
12/12/2009 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - Egypt's plan to build an underground wall along its border with Gaza, first exposed by the Israeli daily Haaretz, is the second of two initiatives backed by the US military, Ma'an has learned. In recent months, US army engineers have moved forward on a two-phase, multimillion-dollar project to stop the flow of weapons and money into the besieged coastal strip. The first stage of the initiative includes the installation of below-ground, state-of-the-art sensors capable of detecting sound or movement nearby. US experts began the process about one year ago, and it is nearing completion. The sensors are about the size of a human fist, planted below Rafah with cables running inside pipes 15 meters deep along the borderline. Each sensor is linked to an electronic panel and a computer screen, which documents below-ground activity.
Egyptians uncover car-smuggling tunnel
12/13/2009 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - Egyptian authorities on Saturday stormed a smuggling tunnel used to transport cars into the besieged Gaza Strip, according to Egyptian security sources. Egyptian security sources told Ma'an that state security forces in Rafah received information about a smuggling tunnel on the Salah Ad-Din border area between Egypt and Gaza, where cars were being smuggled underground. The tunnel was found on a farm 300 meters from the border, they said. The sources added that authorities seized another tunnel used for trafficking cars 18 months, with a 2. 5-meter diameter, facilitating the transfer of 30 Hundai Vernas. Security sources they have discovered nearly 1,300 tunnels, of which 450 were raided by Egypt this year. On Thursday, Israeli media reported that Egypt began building a wall around the Gaza border, consisting of sheaths of metal, which the authorities. . .
Fayyad: We reject all interim arrangements
12/12/2009 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced on Saturday that there will be no peace so long as settlement expansion continues, in a speech given at the National Conference for the Strengthening of Palestinian Popular Activity against the Separation Wall and Settlements in Ramallah. Fayyad added that "the establishment of a Palestinian state on all territories occupied in 1967, chief among them East Jerusalem" remains the sole viable option for guaranteeing peace and stability in the region. "We strenuously reject all the solutions being proposed by Israel's leaders, such as solutions involving interim arrangements," "We have no intention of continuing with the formula of interim arrangements and of accepting a state of strips of territory that have no territorial contiguity. " The prime minister added that "We learned the lessons of the first Intifada and its results.
Settlers set fire to Yasuf mosque, burning over 80 Qur’an and other holy texts
12/13/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - 11 December - PHOTOS - Settlers set fire to the mosque of Yasuf village in the Nablus region of the West Bank on Friday, 11 December. The vicious attack was carried out in the early hours of the morning, after which the village was invaded by Israeli Occupation Forces, firing tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at distraught Palestinians, protesting the desecration of the holy site. Settler violence has seen a sharp increase this month with the Israeli government's announcement to "freeze" settlement construction in the West Bank for 10 months. The attack came directly after the dawn call to prayer at approximately 4:30am, when 4 residents of the notorious Tappuah settlement entered the mosque. Litres of gasoline were dumped across prayer carpets and copies of the Qur'an and dozens of other holy Islamic texts were pulled from shelves lining the wall.
'A Horrifying Demographic Problem'
Palestine Monitor - 12 Dec 2009 - A wave of recent studies from academics both sides of the wall have revealed ingrained racism in Israeli schools. Books authorised by the ministry of education habitually use geography, history, language and other methods to instil negative perceptions of Arabs and Palestinians. Nurit Peled addressing the...
If feds hadn’t stopped Geo Wallace in ‘63, we’d still have apartheid
Mondoweiss - 13 Dec 2009 - Reuters reports: There’s no real freeze on settlers; Israel plans to add 10,000 in the next few months. "This is neither a freeze nor a suspension," [Likud minister Benny Begin was quoted as saying]. "Construction in Judea and Samaria will continue in the next 10 months,"...
Nine wounded in Ni'lin's weekly nonviolent protest
IMEMC 11 Dec 2009 - Friday December 11, 2009 - 18:35, At least nine Palestinians were wounded in the weekly nonviolent protest in the village of N'ilin on Friday. Residents of Nil'in together with intentional peace activists marched after the Friday prayers attempting to reach their land where Israel is constructing the illegal wall.
Palestinian shot at West Bank protest
12/12/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Palestinian was injured at the weekly demonstration against Israel's separation wall in the West Bank village of Nil'in, according to a statement from the local Popular Committee. A 27-year-old protestor was shot just above the knee and was taken immediately to a Ramallah hospital. He was undergoing treatment and his situation was stable late Friday evening. The demonstration ended half an hour after this incident. More than 150 residents of Ni'lin, international and Israeli activists attended the protest, the statement said. After the Friday prayer, demonstrators marched toward one of the gates, chanting slogans against the confiscation of Palestinian land and called for an end to Israeli military occupation and justice for the Palestinian people. When the demonstrators reached the gate and started climbing the under-construction wall, a small number. . .
Release Bil’in popular leader Abdallah Abu Rahmah
12/11/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - 10 December - Abdallah Abu Rahmah (right) with Ela Bhatt, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Fernando H Cardoso, Mary Robinson and Gro Brundtland of the Elders during their visit to Bil'in As part of a recent escalation of political arrests in Bil'in, Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a school teacher and coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee was arrested by Israeli soldiers. At 2am on Thursday, 10 December 2009, seven Israeli military jeeps pulled over at Abdallah Abu Rahmah's home in the city of Ramallah. Soldiers raided the house and arrested Abu Rahmah from his bed in the presence of his wife and three children. Abu Rahmah is a high school teacher in the Latin Patriarchate School in Birzeit near Ramallah and coordinator for the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements. A previous raid targeting Abu Rahmah on 15 September 2009 was executed with such exceptional violence, that a soldier was subsequently indicted for assault.
Israel arrests Palestinian barrier protest leader
12/11/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Washington Post - RAMALLAH, West Bank - A leader of the most persistent Palestinian protest movement against Israel's West Bank separation barrier was asleep in his home when troops broke down his door and arrested him. Supporters of Abdullah Abu Rahmeh, a 38-year-old teacher, say his pre-dawn arrest on Thursday by dozens of troops is part of a recent, heavy-handed campaign by Israel to shut down a five-year-old movement that is the last source of unrest in the West Bank. Since 2005, demonstrators led by Abu Rahmeh have marched every Friday from the West Bank village of Bilin to the nearby separation barrier that slices off 60 percent of the village land. Their acts of protest, which have also included chaining themselves to trees, have won praise from Jimmy Carter and Desmond Tutu and support among Israeli peace activists.
Bil’in residents call for the release of the village’s prisoners in a weekly Friday demonstration
12/11/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Bil'in Popular Committee - Approximately 150 Palestinian, international and Israeli activists gathered in Bil'in today, marking the 22nd anniversary of the start of the First Intifada and calling for the release of the village's prisoners arrested for their involvement in the non-violent demonstrations against the Wall and settlements built on land stolen from Bil'in. Demonstrators gathered in the village after the Friday prayers and marched towards the Wall that is being constructed on their land. Organised by the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, activists raised Palestinian flags and banners condemning Israel's policy of settlement expansion and the recent arrest campaign conducted by the Israeli military against the residents of Bil'in. Protesters chanted slogans calling for national unity and rejection of political differences, stressing the need to keep with Palestinian national principles.
One injured by live ammunition at weekly demonstration in Ni’lin
12/11/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - More than 150 residents of Ni'lin, international and Israeli activists attended today's weekly Friday protest against the Wall. After the Friday prayer, which was held on the village's land, demonstrators marched towards one of the gates, chanting slogans against the confiscation of Palestinian land and called for an end to Israeli military occupation and justice for the Palestinian people. When the demonstrators reached the gate and started climbing the Wall, a small number of soldiers arrived in a jeep and started shooting large quantities of tear gas canisters into the crowd. After the crowd dispersed, clashes erupted between the soldiers and the village youth, with soldiers using live ammunition against the demonstrators. Simultaneously, the main entrance to the village was blocked by Israeli forces, preventing everybody from both entering and leaving the village.
House chairman Brad Sherman calls on UC Irvine to throw out Muslim Student Union for raising money for Gaza
Mondoweiss - 11 Dec 2009 - Your Israel lobby at work. Brad Sherman is a liberal Democratic congressman from California and populist on Wall Street issues. He is also chairman of a House subcommittee on terrorism. With the applause (and likely the urging) of the Zionist Organization of America , he has sent...
OCHA: 664.4 million needed for humanitarian aid in Palestine
12/9/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - UN agencies, as well as international and national NGOs in the occupied territories, appealed on Wednesday for 664. 4 million US dollars to fund humanitarian aid programs in the area, particularly for the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank where the Separation Wall, Israeli settlements and various other restrictions imposed by Israel have had damaging effects on Palestinians' livelihoods, according to a statement released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "Palestinians living in the occupied Palestinian territory continue to face a crisis of human dignity," stated the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the territories, Maxwell Gaylard. "The continued erosion of livelihoods and the denial of basic human rights together are compelling Palestinians to become more and more dependent on international aid," he explained.
[uruknet.info] The Great Wall of Israel
Uruknet December 9, 2009 - Much is heard of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the story of the determined, long-term nonviolent resistance of many Palestinian villagers to the loss of their lands, striking as it may be, is seldom told. Here's my report from just one village on the West Bank. At no time since its 1967 West Bank occupation...
[uruknet.info] ANOTHER WALL THAT MUST FALL
Uruknet December 9, 2009 - Even before it's completed.... IT MUST FALL! The reasons Netanyahu (see report below) gives for construction of the proposed wall are nothing but LIES! The wall is to guarantee the further imprisonment of the people of Gaza.... no other reason. The crossings into Egypt are the only ways out of the existing prison camp. Israeli Defense...
Israelis shot mental patient 'under controversial military directive'
The National 9 Dec 2009 - The shooting of Yakir Ben-Melech as he climbed a security fence into the Gaza Strip allegedly followed rules designed to stop soldiers becoming prisoners
Report: Netanyahu okays Israel-Egypt border wall
12/8/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved the construction of a wall along the border between Israel and Egypt, Israeli media reported on Tuesday. The decision came, according to Israeli daily Ma'ariv, after consultations involving security, political, and financial officials in Israel. Netanyahu believes construction of a barrier will stop smuggling and the migration of Africans seeking work or asylum in Israel. The decision, according to Ma'ariv, was made as a result of an increase in the number of African immigrants crossing into Israel. "The only place in the world where it takes tens of meters walk to cross from the third world to the first world is Israel's southern borders," Netanyahu was quoted as saying in the report. According to Ma'ariv, the plans for the border wall will be ready in early summer, and there is more than one option for the nature of proposed barrier.
Israel to build wall on border with Egypt
8 Dec 2009 - Palestine, December 8, 2009 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to build a wall on the border with Egypt to prevent African migrants from changing Israel's racial balance. Netanyahu believes building a wall along the southern borders with Egypt is an "unavoidable and strategic" measure, which Tel Aviv must take to ensure that thousands of migrants...
VIDEO - Armageddon is coming to East Jerusalem
12/6/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Palestine Monitor, 5 December - This was the ominous warning issued yesterday by Rabbi Arik Asherman, director of Rabbis for Human Rights who believes that "if nothing changes, Jerusalem will burn. " His remarks come in response to a court decision on Monday permitting Israeli settlers to take possession of another Palestinian home in the East Jerusalem region of Sheikh Jarrah. This is the fifth family to be evicted in a neighbourhood where more and more Israeli flags are appearing atop of freshly occupied Palestinian homes. Yesterday Rabbis for Human Rights organized a demonstration in Jerusalem protesting the courts decision bringing together 150 Israeli and international activists from organizations such as ICHAD, EAPPI and Anarchists against the Wall. As they marched through the streets in West Jerusalem, they received a mixed reaction from passer bys. Some cheered them on whilst others shouted "traitor', spat at demonstrators and at one point a hose was turned on the crowd from behind the curtain of an upstairs apartment.
Israel to construct wall on borders with Egypt, rounds up 11 citizens
PIC 9 Dec 2009 - The Israeli government has decided to build a security wall along the borders between Egypt and Palestine occupied in 1948 at the pretext of checking the infiltration of thousands of Africans.
VIDEO - One beaten and threatened with arrest; al-Ma’sara defies soldiers
12/5/2009 - Stop The Wall - Today, the weekly demonstration against the illegal Apartheid Wall and settlements in al-Masara and the surrounding villages in the south of Bethlehem was met by an unusually high number of soldiers, who had arrived in a military bus and additional jeeps. Again, the intended march to the lands of the villages was cut off by a row of barbed wire; however, this week, the barrier had been moved further into the village and spread diagonally across the main street, allowing for more soldiers to line up behind it. The stepped up military presence clearly forbade military aggression. Nonetheless, the local protestors, who were again joined by international and Israeli activists, walked peacefully to the barrier and began to honor a Palestinian who was twice run over by a settler in Hebron last week after allegedly stabbing two settlers.
Settlers uproot trees near Bethlehem
12/6/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Dozens of Israeli settlers uprooted more than fifty newly-planted trees on Sunday from fields in the West Bank village of Um Salamona, south of Bethlehem, Palestinian officials said. The trees were planted last week during a campaign led by the Palestinian Authority governor of Bethlehem Abdul-Fattah Hamayil. The aim of the planting was to express solidarity with the people of Um Salamona whose lands are being confiscated by Israeli authorities to build the separation wall between it and the settlement of Efrat. "This assault by settlers reflects their barbarism which they practice even against trees and stones that belong to the Palestinians," Hamayil commented. He explained that such attacks were completion of an overarching Israeli government plan to confiscate Palestinian lands to build more settlements.
Israel border guards kill Israeli civilian trying to enter Gaza
Ha'aretz 7 Dec 2009 - Man, possibly mentally unstable, drove to Erez border crossing and ran toward border fence trying to scale it.
Israeli Shot Trying to Cross into Gaza.
7 Dec 2009 - Gaza Strip, December 7, 2009 (Pal Telegraph) -An Israeli man was shot dead while trying to climb the border fence and cross into Gaza, IOF said. The incident occurred at Erez crossing point in the early morning hours. The man, 30, drove to the area, stopped his car, and tried to rise over the fence border. According to IOF, the...
Israeli troops kill Israeli trying to enter Gaza Strip
PNN 7 Dec 2009 - An Israeli man was shot dead on Monday morning while trying to climb a border fence and enter the Gaza Strip, an Israeli military spokesman said. The man drove to area and parked his car, then tried to climb the border fence. Border guards called for the man to stop and fired warning shots but he ignored them and continued to climb...
VIDEO - Armageddon is coming to East Jerusalem
12/6/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Palestine Monitor, 5 December - This was the ominous warning issued yesterday by Rabbi Arik Asherman, director of Rabbis for Human Rights who believes that "if nothing changes, Jerusalem will burn. " His remarks come in response to a court decision on Monday permitting Israeli settlers to take possession of another Palestinian home in the East Jerusalem region of Sheikh Jarrah. This is the fifth family to be evicted in a neighbourhood where more and more Israeli flags are appearing atop of freshly occupied Palestinian homes. Yesterday Rabbis for Human Rights organized a demonstration in Jerusalem protesting the courts decision bringing together 150 Israeli and international activists from organizations such as ICHAD, EAPPI and Anarchists against the Wall. As they marched through the streets in West Jerusalem, they received a mixed reaction from passer bys. Some cheered them on whilst others shouted "traitor', spat at demonstrators and at one point a hose was turned on the crowd from behind the curtain of an upstairs apartment.
Israeli Committee Planning More Building Projects In Occupied Jerusalem
12/7/2009 - Political Theatrics - PIC - Quds Press reported that the Israeli committee for planning and building in occupied Jerusalem approved last week a plan to build extra buildings in Al-Buraq plaza. Quds press quoted the Israeli Yerushalayim newspaper as saying that the new plan is aimed to establish a police station, educational center, offices for Al-Buraq wall heritage fund and a building for public service. The news agency added that four parties objected to this plan including Jerusalemite citizens living in the vicinity and a group for the protection of nature, which confirmed that the building in the open area in Al-Buraq plaza would shrink the area and affect the principle of maintaining the plaza. For its part, the civic coalition for defending the Palestinians rights in Jerusalem said that Israel broke the pledge it made in 1994 on the protection of Palestinian institutions and interests in east Jerusalem. . . .
Bil’in residents demonstrate in support of recent Swedish initiative calling for a Palestinian state
IMEMC 5 Dec 2009 - Friday December 04, 2009 - 14:28, Residents of Bil’in village, central West Bank, alongside international and Israeli solidarity activists, demonstrated on Friday against the Wall after the midday prayer.
Palestinian demonstrator shot with live ammunition during Ni’lin protest yesterday
12/5/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, 4 December - During yesterday's demonstration in Ni'lin, Hassan Naffe', 21, was illegally shot by a sniper using 0. 22" munitions. The 0. 22" munitions, often colloquially referred to as ‘twotwo' were classified as live ammunition and banned as crowd-control measures in 2001, by the then Judge Advocate General (JAG) Menachem Finkelstein. Naffe' was shot in the groin and evacuated to the Ramallah hospital. An Israeli sniper using 0. 22" munitions shot Palestinian protester Hassan Naffe' in the groin yesterday, during an anti wall demonstration in the West Bank village on Ni'lin. Naffe' was moderately injured and evacuated to the Ramallah hospital, where an xray showed the bullet had lodged itself in his hipbone. Late in 2001, the then JAG, Menachem Finkelstein, reclassified the 0. 22" munition as live ammunition, and specifically forbade its use as a crowd control means. The reclassification was decided upon following numerous deaths of Palestinian demonstrators, mostly children. . .
One injured and dozens suffers effects of tear gas at the weekly Nil'in protest
IMEMC 4 Dec 2009 - Friday December 04, 2009 - 14:22, One civilians sustained moderate wounds as others treated for tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked on Friday the weekly anti wall protest in the village of Nil'in, central West Bank.
Bil’in residents protest wall, praise Sweden
12/4/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Residents of Bil'in, alongside international and Israeli solidarity activists, demonstrated against the wall on Friday. Many suffered from tear-gas inhalation but no serious injuries were reported. The demonstration, organized by the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements, was centered on the recent endeavor of the Swedish government, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. The Popular Committee said in a statement that it "encourages the just effort and calls on other governments to support the initiative. "[end]
Report: Jordan summons Israel envoy over Sepulchre concerns
12/4/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Jordanian officials demanded Israel halt on Thursday "unilateral" construction work being carried out on the outer walls of Jerusalem's famed Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Because Jordan is the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, Israel's ambassador was called in on an official request, "where he was handed an official letter of protest expressing deep concerns and rejection of unilateral measures in the outer western walls of the church," a senior Jordanian official told AFP. The letter, according to the AFP report, demanded Israel "immediately halt such actions and restore the status quo. "The official affirmed the Jordanian stance, saying "Israel's measures are illegal and violate international laws because Israel is the occupying force in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The work being done reportedly includes the removal of iron bars around a gate in the ancient walls. "
Army renews use of live ammunition against demonstrators
12/4/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - B'Tselem, 26 November - On Friday, 13 November, soldiers were documented firing 22-caliber bullets at demonstrators during the weekly demonstration against the Separation Barrier in Ni'lin. The shots were fired a few dozen meters from the targets, and lightly wounded two demonstrators. The IDF Spokesperson's Office confirmed that 22-caliber bullets had indeed been fired. The following Friday, 20 November, soldiers again fired live ammunition at the demonstrators, causing moderate injuries to one and lightly injuring another. In 2001, the then judge advocate general, Major General Menachem Finkelstein, prohibited the use of 22-caliber bullets to disperse demonstrators. In early 2009, however, the army resumed its use against demonstrators in the West Bank. B'Tselem protested the action. . . . -- Link: B'tselem: Prohibit live ammunition in circumstances that are not life-threatening in the West Bank
Palestinian moderately hurt in Naalin
12/4/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - YNet News - A 20-year-old Palestinian protestor was moderately injured from a bullet fired by the security forces during a rally against the separation fence in the West Bank village of Naalin, Palestinian sources reported Friday. An Israel Defense Forces official said the man was lightly wounded after being hit in the lower part of his body by a bullet fired from a Ruger rifle, which is used as a crowd dispersal mean. One of the protesters, Yonatan Polk, said he was standing next to the demonstrator that was shot. "The guy was standing between 50 and 70 meters away from the soldiers, with two barbed-wire fences between them," he said. "Both he and the soldiers were standing behind cement blocks, meaning any arguments of their lives being in danger are far from reality. He was hit by a live bullet near his crotch. It's a policy of using these means in order to create tension and nothing more,” he added.
Bil’in residents demonstrate in support of recent Swedish initiative calling for a Palestinian state
12/4/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Bil'in Popular Committee - Residents of Bil'in, alongside international and Israeli solidarity activists, demonstrated against the Wall after the Friday prayer. Many suffered from tear-gas inhalation, as the Israeli armed forces fired upon protestors as they approached the illegal Wall. The demonstration concluded at 1 pm. The weekly demonstration, organized by the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements, was centered on the recent endeavor of the Swedish government. Sweden, as president of the European Union, recently announced plans to discuss a draft for a Palestinian state, recognizing Jerusalem as its capital. The Popular Committee encourages the just effort and calls on other governments to support the initiative. Demonstrators marched from the center of Bil'in village, chanting slogans against the theft of Palestinian land and called for an end to Israel's military occupation.
PNC chief applauds EU’s Jerusalem proposal
12/3/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The head of the Palestinian National Council, Salim Az-Za'nun, welcomed in a statement on Thursday the EU's move toward recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state. The suggestion was approved during a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers on this week. Az-Za'nun added that "this move is in the right direction and a victory for international legitimacy and a factor that will encourage stability in the region when Israel abides by other international resolutions concerning not changing the demographic features of Jerusalem. . . [and] the return of the refugees, dismantling settlements and the wall. "He also denounced Israel's international campaign against the EU, and particularly Sweden, as "a clear assault while continuing with demolishing homes, stripping Palestinians from their identity cards and building settlement, all issues. . .
Jordan summons Israel envoy over church
Daily Star 3 Dec 2009 Jordan summoned Israeli Ambassador Nevo Dani on Thursday to demand a halt to "unilateral" work carried out by Israel on the outer walls of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. "The ambassador was summoned today to the Foreign Ministry where he was handed an official letter of protest expressing deep concerns and rejection of unilateral measures in the outer western walls of the church," a senior official said.
Night raids conducted by Israeli forces resume in the village of Bil’in: One Palestinian resident arrested
12/3/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Coordination Committee - Night raids, conducted by the Israeli army as a part of the ongoing arrest campaign in an attempt to crush the popular struggle against the Apartheid Wall and settlements in the Palestinian village of Bil'in have resumed in the early hours of Thursday, 3 December. At 2am, approximately 20 soldiers invaded the village on foot from the direction of the Apartheid Wall and broke into the house of Rani Najar, without issuing any prior warning. The soldiers handcuffed all men living in the house and detained them in a separate room. They then proceeded to arrest Rani (23), who had only returned from Jordan the previous day. Female members of the family who came to help Rani were violently pushed away, and, as the soldiers exited the house, they also failed to remove handcuffs from the earlier detained men.
Elderly Palestinian attacked by Israeli soldiers, left bleeding
12/2/2009 - Tulkarem - Ma'an - Israeli soldiers beat a 75-year-oldPalestinian on Wednesday as he was trying to access his land adjacent to Israel's electric barrier west of Deir Al-Ghusun, in the northern West Bank the victim told Ma'an. Ahmad Jaber Ghanem was left bleeding at the scene of the incident, after Israeli soldiers assaulted him and refused medical assistance. An ambulance associated with the Palestinian Red Crescent was called by locals shortly after the incident and transferred Ghanem to the Thabit Thabit Hospital in Tulkarem, where Ghanem was treated for moderate injuries sustained to the head and face. Ghanem told Ma'an that Israeli soldiers repeatedly deny him access to his land near Israel's electric barrier, despite having the necessary permit granting him entry. The electric barrier forms part of Israel's internationally condemned separation wall. . . . -- Link: Medics: Israeli forces shoot, detain Gaza man
Prohibit Live Ammunition in Circumstances are not Life-Threatening in WB, B’Tselem
12/1/2009 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - JERUSALEM, December 1, 2009 (WAFA)- Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territory, B'Tselem un justified the Israeli army use of lethal weapons in the Occupied Territory. Real-time observations by B'Tselem and video footage filmed at two demonstrations indicated that the gunfire was completely contrary to army orders. There was no justification to use lethal weapons in these incidents. Persons from the village were indeed throwing stones at Israeli forces on the other side of the fence, but from a few dozen meters away. The Israeli forces found cover behind concrete blocks or inside shielded jeeps, so they were not in a life-threatening situation. It added The security forces had other means, which cause much lesser harm, that they could easily have used to distance demonstrators from the fence, among them tear gas and an odorous liquid sprayed at demonstrators from a tanker. -- Links: B'tselem
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