Vermonters
for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
Prisoners Archive - June 2007
Treatment of Prisoners and Detainees by Israel and Others
Prisoners Archive - June 2007
Treatment of Prisoners and Detainees by Israel and Others
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Vermonters
for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel Prisoners Archive - June 2007 Treatment of Prisoners and Detainees by Israel and Others |
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Magiddo prison persists in barring former minister’s mother from visitation Palestinian Information Center 6/28/2007 NABLUS, (PIC)-- The Israeli Megiddo prison administration persists in preventing the mother of the kidnapped former finance minister Dr. Omar Abdel Razeq from visiting him at the pretext of lack of relationship with her son!The mother had to process a new ID to prove her relationship to her son in captivity. Such problems are faced daily by many Palestinian families who are deprived of visiting their relatives at many pretexts by Israeli prisons’ authorities, lack of relationship is one of them. In another unrelated development, the Palestinian prisoners detained in the Jalama detention camp criticized on Wednesday the promise made by Israeli premier Ehud Olmert to release 250 Palestinian prisoners from Fatah only considering it as "mockery of the sacrifices of martyrs, the wounded, prisoners and the Palestinian people. Translation of a Palestinian Torture Video Kawther Salam, The Daily Life of Kawther Salam 6/24/2007 ... The images in the following video, which was released to the Internet some time ago and whose translation I am presenting to the world, will show you the well-trained Fatah-PA troops. The way in which they torture their Palestinian prisoners shows the great achievements of the training given to these PA thugs by the USA. The Palestinian Authority forces seen in the video torturing the prisoners are from the death squads controlled by Mohammad Dahlan. The victims seen in the video are Palestinians, one of the prisoners wears a t-shirt with the legend of the ‘Executive Forces”, a Hamas unit under control of the Interior Ministry. The video is a direct consequence of the foreign policy of the USA and EU. It was subsidized with tax money from all these countries. I am posting the translation of this Video from Gaza under the PA with deep sorrow and bitterness... -- See also: "Hamas" Torturing Palestinians Palestinian detainees in an Israeli jail expose the inhumane practices of the prison authorities Ma’an News Agency 6/27/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – The Palestinian detainees in the Israeli jail of Majeddo have complained of being strip-searched by the prison guards. The prisoners said that the Israeli authorities made their life in prison a “living hell” and searched them naked when attending court or going on visits. The prisoners also said they were shackled by the hands and feet. The prisoners requested that the practices of the Israeli prison authorities are exposed internationally. On Tuesday the Israeli authorities released Muhammad Awad Hussein Ibrahim, aged 21, from Majeddo jail, after spending a year in detention. Ibrahim told Ma’an that prisoners are living in miserable health and psychological conditions, due to the policy of the Israeli authorities; there is a shortage of food and medical services and the prisoners’ relatives are prohibited from visiting. Detainees in Al Jalama: "Olmert is mocking the Palestinian struggle" IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 6/27/2007 Several detainees in Al Jalama Israeli prison stated on Wednesday that the statements and "promises" of the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, to release 250 detainees, are a mockery to the Palestinian struggle and the sacrifices of thousands of martyrs, detainees and injured Palestinians. The statements of the detainees came as the lawyer of Nafha Society for Detainees visited a number of detainees in Al Jalama. The detainees stated that they were not surprised of the outcome of the Sharm Al Sheikh Summit in Egypt, which did not differ from previous summits. The detainees added that while Israel refuses to release all of the Palestinian detainees as part of any peace deal, the Israeli authorities continue to carry illegal practices against the detainees, and continue to torture them and to imprison them... Ministry of prisoners’ affairs strives to enable Palestinian youths in Israeli jails to take the Tawjihi exams Ma’an News Agency 6/27/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Minister of prisoners’ affairs, Ashraf Eid Al-Ajrami, said that he is exerting all efforts to enable detainees to participate in the Tawjihi, school-leaving exams, whilst being held in Israeli jails. He added that he hopes the youths will be able to take the exams as soon as possible. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the minister said that his ministry are working hard to achieve this goal and are hoping to provide the suitable environment for the detainees to take the exams. [end] Israeli military court extends the detention of six Palestinian prisoners Ma’an News Agency 6/27/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – The Nafha society for prisoners’ affairs said that the Israeli military court of Salem extended the prison sentence of six detainees. A lawyer from the Nafha society said that the military court extended the sentence of five prisoners from Balata refugee by 16 days and one prisoner from Tulkarem by 9 days. [end] No budget from the government means no telephone lines for the Palestinian Prisoners’ Association Ma’an News Agency 6/26/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - The director of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Association in Bethlehem, Abdullah Zghari, said on Tuesday that the Palestinian Telecommunications company (PalTel) has stopped the office’s telephone lines because they have not paid their bills since the beginning of the year. The office has continued to follow up the prisoners’ cases without telephones for the fifth day in a row." The association has not received its basic budget for a year and a half, and so all of its offices in the West Bank have run into debts," explained the director of the prisoners’ association. In a statement received by Ma’an, the Prisoners’ Association appealed to the Palestinian ministry of prisoners’ affairs and the ministry of finance to speed up the payment of the association’s budget in the West Bank in order... Former prisoner of Zion against Palestinian visitation rights Aviram Zino, YNetNews 6/26/2007 Ida Nudel, former prisoner of Zion, Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, petition High Court of Justice to order Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter to withhold Hamas, Hizbullah prisoners’ visitation rights until sign of life of captive IDF soldiers givenFormer prisoner of Zion, Ida Nudel filed a petition to the High Court of Justice demanding it order Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter to withhold visitation rights of Hamas and Hizbullah prisoners in Israel. The petition argued that the prisoners should not be allowed visitation as long as the Red Cross was prevented from seeing kidnapped IDF soldiers Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser. "I filed the petition as someone who was once a prisoner for the State of Israel and as a responsible Israeli citizen, who feels responsible for what... Wa’ed organisation issues a report on World Day Against Torture revealing the ongoing brutal treatment of Palestinians Ma’an News Agency 6/25/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Wa’ed organisation for detainees and released prisoners on World Day Against Torture, which is the 25th June, issued an account recognising the ongoing suffering of Palestinians due to the Israeli occupation. Wa’ed’s report said that Palestinians are being cruelly tortured by the Israeli authorities. Wa’ed reported Israeli crimes during June 2007. The organisation stated that the Israeli forces arrested eight Palestinians on the first day of the month from different regions of the occupied Palestinian West Bank, claiming the arrestees were ‘wanted’. The apprehensions were conducted at dawn and included six so-called ‘wanted’ men from Hamas, two of whom studied at the Jerusalem Open University, near Salfit. All were taken to an unrevealed destination. IDF renews jailing of Sudanese refugees after two-month hiatus Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondent, Ha’aretz 6/25/2007 Israel has renewed the jailing of Sudanese refugees who steal into the country along the Egyptian border. On Sunday, Israel Defense Forces soldiers jailed a number of Sudanese men they found on the streets of Be’er Sheva, while their women and children were left to manage on their own. The jailing policy, which was carried out until April of this year, caused humanitarian problems as the women and children found it difficult to fend for themselves in a foreign country while the heads of their family were locked up in prison. Furthermore, the jailing policy created a lack of space in prisons. Due to the overcrowding of prisons and the objection of civil rights groups who aide foreign workers and refugees, the IDF put an end to the jailing policy two moths ago. Video: Arrest of Head of Bilin popular committee International Solidarity Movement 6/25/2007 Video -- A Video ofthe arrest of Iyad Burnat,head of the popular committee in Bil’in, During the demonstration against the annexation barrier on the 22 of June. Iyad was injured by teargas, when a couple of soldiers ran to him and arrested him for no apparent reason. He was taken for questioning in Shaar Binyamin police station, and from there to Ofer prison. An officer remanded his arrest by 4 days, which are very likely to become 8, after which they will have to bring him in front of a judge if they want to keep him. Attorney Gaby Laski will filed an urgent request for his release. Israeli authorities release five Nablus detainees Ma’an News Agency 6/25/2007 Nablus - Salfit - Ma’an - The Israeli authorities released five Palestinian detainees, all from the Nablus region of the northern West Bank, on Monday. Hassan Na’im, from Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus, was released after spending four years in Israeli jail. Na’el Khafash, Amir Hjeer, I’zzat Khafash, and Tawfiq Khafash, all from Nablus, were released after spending a week in Huwwara interrogation centre near Nablus. Mr Na’im spent his detention in a number of Israeli prisons; the latest was Ansar prison in the Israeli Negev desert. After his release he said that he was transferred with other detainees to the north of Hebron and from there he went to Nablus, where his family welcomed him at Huwwara checkpoint, located just south of the city. Tel Rumeida: Prolonged Detention by Soldiers International Solidarity Movement 6/24/2007 Hebron Region -- A 21-year old Palestinian male was detained at the Tel Rumeida Hill at 6:30 p. m. for not having his Palestinian id (hawiya). He told the soldiers that he forgot it at home. The detainee’s brother was told to go home by the soldiers to retrieve the id so they could check it. When the group of soldiers told him to go home and bring them back his brother’s id, he told the soldier he wanted to stay with his brother. There was innitialy a discussion over whether the boy should go home to get the ID or not however this discussion escalated and the soldier became aggressive and grabbed the boy. At this point the soldier dragged the Palestinian boy to one side to continue speaking with him. When the soldier became aware that the HRWs present were filming and watching the situation, the soldier attempted... Tel Rumeida: Prolonged Detention by Soldiers International Solidarity Movement 6/24/2007 Hebron Region -- Wednesday, June 13, 2007 6:30"”9 pm -- A 21-year old Palestinian male was detained at the Tel Rumeida Hill at 6:30 p. m. for not having his Palestinian id (hawiya). He told the soldiers that he forgot it at home. The detainee’s brother was told to go home by the soldiers to retrieve the id so they could check it. When the group of soldiers told him to go home and bring them back his brother’s id, he told the soldier he wanted to stay with his brother. There was innitialy a discussion over whether the boy should go home to get the ID or not however this discussion escalated and the soldier became aggressive and grabbed the boy. At this point the soldier dragged the Palestinian boy to one side to continue speaking with him. When the soldier became aware that the HRWs present were filming and watching... Ma’an visits Hamas detainees in Nablus Ma’an News Agency 6/23/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – The venue for the Palestinian security services’ compound in Nablus is a multi-storey building, dating back to the Jordanian era. The Palestinian security services were given the building by the Israeli authorities in 1996. Since then, the building has been attacked several times in Israeli ground and air strikes during incursions in Nablus. The security services prepared the building in 48 hours to cope with the state of emergency declared by President, Mahmoud Abbas, in response to Hamas’ seizure of the Gaza Strip. "We treat detainees well" -- The director of Force 17, or the presidential guards, in the northern West Bank, Major General Abu Ali Turk, denied that Hamas detainees are maltreated. He said, "I challenge anyone to prove that a single finger has been laid on one prisoner... Collective punishment of Palestinian civilians in Lebanon Sophie McNeill, Electronic Intifada 6/22/2007 Unable to flee as gun battles and shelling razed their neighbors’ homes, Mohammad’s family had been stuck inside the camp since fighting first broke out between the Islamic militant group Fatah al-Islam and the Lebanese army. The army checkpoint was supposed to provide a safe haven for these desperate Palestinian civilians. Instead, Mohammad claims, this is where his journey of torture began. Most were too scared to agree to be interviewed, but on Saturday morning a young man came up to me at the Baddawi Palestinian refugee camp where over 18,000 Palestinian refugees from Nahr al-Bared are sheltering. He asked if I wanted to meet their cousin who apparently had just been released from the Lebanese military the night before. The cousin took me down a maze of crowded alleys and up about six flights of stairs,... Detainees in Al Jalama prison on Hunger Strike Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 6/19/2007 Palestinian detainees imprisoned in Al Jalama Israeli prison launched on Tuesday a three-day hunger strike in protest of the attacks carried by the prison administration against them. The detainees issued a press release stating the they tried to negotiate with the administration in order to stop the daily attacks and illegal practices, but it refused to hold talks and reused to provide the ailing detainees with the needed medical attention and care. They added that the food provided to them is of a bad quality, and is also insufficient. Furthermore, the detainees stated that there are deprived from even having shows regularly and that the administration is barring their parents and lawyers from visiting them. They added that they will carry further protest procedures if their conditions were not improved... Summer Campaign: “We need you now more than ever!” International Solidarity Movement 6/19/2007 A letter from Hisham -- In ISM, we have the respect and protection of ALL the Palestinian factions. In the last few days, I had a lot of phone calls from Europe and the United States, asking if we are still having the summer campaign or not. My answer was, "yes we need you now more than ever!" Salaam for everyone. It is no secret what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank now. As Palestinians, we have been through worse situations. In 1982 something like this conflict also happened in Lebanon between the Palestinians. Also in 1999, there was a conflict between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, most of the Hamas people were put in prison. Because we have been through this before, we know that we must get through it again, together as one people, Palestinians. Palestinian Authority: Hamas and Fatah must end revenge killings, attacks and abductions Source: Amnesty International (AI, ReliefWeb 6/18/2007 "Both Fatah and Hamas must put an end to the cycle of revenge killings, attacks and abductions of each others’ supporters. They must ensure that detainees are not mistreated and are afforded due judicial process, and that those responsible for abuses are brought to justice in fair trials," said Malcolm Smart, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme. The number of those abducted or detained by each side and their fate is as yet unknown and there are fears that detainees may be used by both sides as bargaining chips to extract concessions by the other side, or may even be killed. "The political leadership on each side has condemned killings and attacks by the other side but has kept silent about the abuses committed by its own fighters. Renewed threat to kill abducted reporter Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem, The Guardian 6/18/2007 Efforts to win the release of the kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston were set back last night when the militants holding him threatened to kill him and said he would not be freed until their demands were met. The warning, from a spokesman for a group calling itself the Army of Islam, came on a day when Hamas officials had suggested Johnston’s release was only hours away. "Freeing this detainee has not been part of any deal with any faction or organisation. What appears on television screens and through the media here and there are untrue," the Army of Islam spokesman, named as Abu Khatab, told al-Jazeera television last night." If they do not meet our demands there will be no release for that detainee and if things become more difficult. Unnamed prisoner is second Palestinian to die in an Israeli jail in under a fortnight Ma’an News Agency 6/17/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – A 30-year-old Palestinian prisoner serving his sentence in the Israeli jail of Shatta died late on Saturday night. The Israeli authorities refused to reveal the prisoner’s name, or where he was from. They only reported that "a Palestinian prisoner, aged 30, who was ill, died at Affola Hospital, where he was transferred a week ago." Less than two weeks ago another Palestinian prisoner, Mahir Dandan, aged 38, from Balata refugee camp, died in Gilbou’ prison in Israel. [end] Rights groups call on Israel to open Gaza crossings Aviram Zino, YNetNews 6/17/2007 Eight Israeli human rights groups appeal to defense officials to open Gaza crossing and allow Palestinians to leave Strip -- Eight Israeli human rights organizations called on outgoing Defense Minister Amir Peretz and coordinator of government activities in the territories, Maj. -Gen, Yosef Mishlav Sunday to open Gaza’s border crossings and allow Palestinians to enter Israel. The groups that have signed the appeal are Gisha: The Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, B’Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights, Hamoked: Center for the Defense of the Individual, Yesh Din, Rabbis for Human Rights and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel. In their letter, the groups wrote that the Israeli government must open the crossings in order to prevent a humanitarian disaster from developing in Gaza. Prisoner Adeb Al Qett denied visit by medical staff at Israeli Megiddo prison Ma’an News Agency 6/16/2007 Jenin – Ma’an – Authorities at the Israeli Megiddo prison have prevented a medical committee from visiting Adeb Al Qett, a prisoner from the Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades, whose health continues to deteriorate. The committee revealed, "Al Qett suffers from injuries caused by the Israeli soldiers, and his health becomes worse due to neglect and the refusal of the prison to allow him treatment. They have dealt with him very badly during the investigation." The committee asked international and humanitarian societies to intervene, in order to move him to the hospital and allow medical authorities to visit him. [end] Israel Prison Service separates Hamas and Fatah inmates Jonathan Lis, Ha’aretz 6/16/2007 The Israel Prison Service on Friday separated Palestinian security prisoners affiliated with Fatah from those linked with Hamas, after receiving intelligence information indicating that factional violence could break out among the prisoners in the wake of the bloody clashes in the Gaza Strip that led to the Hamas takeover there. This is the first time the prison service has separated prisoners on such short notice, without fighting having preceded the move. Since Friday morning, some 1,200 Fatah-linked inmates were separated from 800 Hamas-affiliated men in Ketziot Prison, and 900 security prisoners - about half connected with Hamas and half with Fatah - were separated from each other in Ofer Prison. The prison service was sending security reinforcements Friday to the Ketziot and Ofer jails, in the hope of suppressing any riots that could develop. Israeli military court of Salem extends the detention of two Palestinian officials Ma’an News Agency 6/13/2007 Qalqilia – Ma’an – The Israeli military court of Salem has extended the detention of deputy mayor of Qalqilia, Hashim Al Masri, Hamas Palestinian Legislative Council member, Imad Nofal, until the 22nd of August. The two men were abducted during a comprehensive arrest campaign by the Israeli forces, in which many other Palestinian officials and PLC members were apprehended. Both officials are currently held in Majeddo prison. [end] Palestinian politicians held in shackles in Israel detention, Nafha society says Ma’an News Agency 6/12/2007 Nablus - Ma’an - The Nafha society for the defence of human and prisoners’ rights harshly criticised on Tuesday Israel’s treatment of the detained Palestinian ministers and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. According to Nafha, the Palestinian officials were hand-cuffed and shackled for long time periods, which reached 15 hours in some cases. This information was told to Nafha’s attorney by the speaker of the PLC, Dr Aziz Dweik, during the attorney’s visit on Sunday. Dr Dweik depicted the Israeli treatment as "an attempt to humiliate the Palestinian officials while they are in transit to the court hearings." Parents of Jenin detainees appeal the end of internal clashes IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 6/13/2007 Parents of Palestinian detainees from Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank, imprisoned by the Israeli authorities, voiced an appeal, during a protest in front of the Jenin office of Red Cross, to Hamas and Fateh gunmen in the Gaza Strip to stop the internal clashes that led to hundreds of civilian casualties. Translated by Saed Bannoura - IMEMCThe parents expressed their anger over these bloody and violent clashes between the Palestinian gunmen from Fateh and Hamas. Resident Ni’ma Thiab Abu Khader,a mother of two sons imprisoned by Israel, including one son who was sentenced to several life terms, said that as the Palestinians are facing continuous deadly invasions and attacks carried by the Israeli occupation, brothers are fighting and killing each other. Over 15,000 Palestinians visited detained family members in May, ICRC reports Ma’an News Agency 6/12/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - 15,753 Palestinians visited 7,052 family members in Israeli detention during the month of May, according to the May update from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This is an increase of over 2,000 visitors compared to April when the ICRC reported that 13,625 Palestinians visited 5,963 relatives in Israeli jails. It is still less than the number of visitors in March when 17,925 Palestinians visited 7,259 relatives in Israeli detention. Detainees and their relatives also exchanged 1,194 messages in April, a decrease from April (1,428 messages) and March (1,770 messages), through ICRC facilitation. The ICRC mentions in its April report its particular concern about the humanitarian impact of several Israeli policies related to East Jerusalem. Palestinian detainee dies of heart failure after being denied medical treatment Saed Bannoura - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 6/11/2007 Maher Ata Dandan, 38, a detainee in Israel’s Jelbou’a prison, died early Sunday morning of heart failure, after having been repeatedly denied treatment for anemia. The Hamas party in Palestine immediately issued a statement calling Dandan’s death a type of ’extrajudicial execution’ by Israeli authorities. The statement also called the death a ’crime against humanity’ carried out by the State of Israel. The statement claimed that Israel deliberately neglects the health needs of the Palestinians being held in its detention facilities, many of whom are being held without charge. That claim has been reiterated by a number of human rights groups, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, who have expressed grave concern at the lack of medical treatment for Palestinian detainees. Israeli Authorities refuse to release female Palestinian prisoner Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 6/11/2007 The Israeli prison authorities, on Monday, refused an appeal made by Mandila Association for prisoners’ affairs to release a Palestinian prisoner and her infant from an Israeli detention camp. In a press release issued by the association, Mandila stated that the association filed an appeal for the release of Samar Sobeh and her infant from the Hasharon Israeli detention camp. Sobeh has server one third of her sentence. Sobeh was kidnapped from her home in the West Bank during a military operation in September 2005. At the time of her kidnapping, she was two months pregnant and delivered her baby in an Israeli prison hospital in April 2006. An Israeli court sentenced the woman to 28 months in prison and issued her with a 2000 NIS fine. Detainees in Al Jalama on hunger strike Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 6/10/2007 Palestinian detainees in Al Jalama Israeli detention facility carried a hunger strike in protest to their continued detention and confinement to solitary under very difficult conditions, and repeated attacks. In a letter that was leaked from the facility, the detainees stated that there are at least 30 detainees who are confined to solitary even though their interrogation period had ended two or three months ago. The letters revealed that the food provided to the detainees is bad, and that the detainees are not allowed to shower or even change their clothes while in solitary confinement. The detainees added that they are also barred from meeting their lawyers, and threatened to hold an open ended hunger strike if they are not moved out of solitary, and if the their conditioned were not improved. Parents of detainees in Gabloa’, Shatta, face illegal naked body searches IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 6/9/2007 The Palestinian Popular Committee issued a statement on Saturday slamming the illegal Israeli policies of forcing parents of the detainees to go through naked body searches before they visiting their detained family members in Gabloa’ and Shatta Israeli prisons. Azmi Shiokhy, Secretary-General of the Committees, slammed the illegal practices and stated that the soldiers forced women, children and elderly to undress under the pretext of searching them before they visit their detained relatives. He called on the detainees to protest against these illegal measures since they violate the international law and the basic principles of human rights. He also called on the residents to support the detainees and their struggle through solidarity acts and protests. Israeli military court extends administrative detention of Qalqilia mayor for further six months Ma’an News Agency 6/9/2007 Qalqilia – Ma’an – An Israeli military court on Saturday extended the administrative detention of Wajih Qawwas, the mayor of Qalqilia, a town in the northern West Bank, for a further six months. Ma’an’s correspondent revealed that Qawwas was brought to court last week for trial, and was shocked to find that it was, instead, a closed military hearing; he was surprised at having been sentenced for six months of administrative detention. Under international law, administrative detention without charge or trial is only allowable in extreme cases, where it is believed that the person poses a significant risk to the security of others. Despite this, there are currently 975 Palestinian prisoners being held arbitrarily in "administrative detention" by Israel, having not even been accused of a crime. Israeli military court of Salem issues sentences to 13 prisoners from Jenin Ma’an News Agency 6/9/2007 Jenin – Ma’an – The Israeli military court of Salem on Saturday extended the detention of several Palestinian prisoners and convicted several more, from the northern West Bank governorate of Jenin. The lawyer, Farid Hawwash, from the Palestinian Prisoners Society, said that Salem court convicted Ahmad Shafiq, from Silat al Harithiya, to 15 months imprisonment with a fine of 2000 NIS (~$500 US), and Nadim Mahmoud, from Qabatiya, to 8 months imprisonment and the same fine, both villages are in the Jenin district. Hawwash added that the court decided to extend the detention of Ammar Mahmoud Ali, from Jenin, and Ahmad Mustafa Mohammad, from Kafr Ra’i, until the 19th of June. The court also ruled that the detention of Fadi Ahmad, from Silat al Harithiya, Mohammad Said, from Jenin, Mohammad Mustafa Abu Ar Rub,... Detained Palestinian Judge continues his hunger strike IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 6/8/2007 For the sixth day, Sheikh Abdullah Harb, from Jenin, chief judge of the Jenin Appeal Court, continued his hunger strike against his detention in the Al Jalama Israeli detention facility. The Jenin office of The Nafha Society for Defending Human Rights and the Rights of the Detainees reported that Sheikh Harb is persistent to continue his strike in protest to the Israeli violations. The Society demanded the release of Justice Harb, and stated that he should at least be transferred to another facility in the meantime. Sheikh Harb was kidnapped by Israeli soldiers stationed at a military roadblock and was imprisoned and interrogated under inhuman conditions. The Society reported that the abductions of Sheikh Harb is considered a direct Israeli attack against one of the religious and legal symbols of the Palestinian... Israeli authorities only giving pain relief to hemiplegic prisoner, Nafha society claims Ma’an News Agency 6/7/2007 Salfit - Ma’an - The Nafha society for the defence of human and prisoners’ rights has called on the international human rights organizations to help release a Palestinian prisoner, Rabi’ Harb, from Salfit in the northern West Bank. Harb received several gunshot wounds while he was being arrested last year, and as a result he suffers from hemiplegia. The society added in a statement that Ma’an received on Thursday that, since his arrest, Harb has been hospitalized in Ramla prison hospital where he receives only pain relieving medication instead of the necessary medicines. The attorney of the Nafha society said that Harb’s medical file has been transferred to Germany after the Israeli hospitals failed to treat him. The response from Germany has been positive, the lawyer said, yet the Israeli authorities are continuing... MEPs stand up for immediate release of 45 Palestinian MPs in Israeli Jail from Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of European Parliament, International Solidarity Movement 6/6/2007 "Each of us, MEPs, is deeply concerned about the imprisonment of the President and of 1/3 of the Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, democratically and legitimately elected by the Palestinian people", MEPs said in their declaration. Through this initiative, MEPs want to strongly condemn these arrests by the Israeli Army, but also remind the anniversary of the beginning of the Israeli military occupation in the Palestinian territories, which is during 40 years exactly today. "We are deeply worried not only for the plight of the 45 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council but also for the near 11000 Palestinian political prisoners currently imprisoned by the Israeli Army, without a true process and often brutally abducted by the Israeli soldiers. Petition: Shin Bet investigators abused prisoner Roi Mandel, YNetNews 6/6/2007 Palestinian youngster detained since March claims investigators put out cigarettes on his body. Petitions by two human rights groups to send physician granted only after Ynet query -- Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and The Public Committee against Torture in Israel petitioned the Tel Aviv Administrative Court on Wednesday, demanding an urgent court order allowing their physician to visit a minor Palestinian detainee at the Sharon Prison. The young man claimed he was tortured during his stay in the prison, and that cigarettes were put out on his body. Report ’High Court permits torture of Palestinians’/ Aviram Zino Public Committee Against Torture in Israel says there is "˜no effective barrier "“ not legal and certainly not ethical "“ that stands in the way of using torture"; Shin... Two Palestinian men from Salfit region released from Israeli detention Ma’an News Agency 6/6/2007 Salfit - Ma’an - The Israeli authorities released two Palestinian prisoners from the Salfit region of the north west of the occupied West Bank on Tuesday. Othman Omran, 20, from Salfit city, and Ahmad Khalid Harb, from Iskaka village, located to the east of Salfit, were released from Israeli jails. Both men are students in the Open University and were arrested as part of the Israeli military’s recent arrest campaigns in the West Bank, which have targeted scores of Palestinian officials. Ahmad Harb was arrested along with his brother Walid Harb on 18 May 2007. Walid Harb has previously served more than 12 years in Israeli jails. [end] Israeli military courts decide to extend the detention of 15 Palestinians and release 3 Ma’an News Agency 6/6/2007 Qalqilia – Ma’an – The information department of the Nafha association for defending prisoners’ and human rights stated on Wednesday that the Israeli military courts of Salem and Jalama extended the detention of 15 Palestinian prisoners from Qalqilia, in the northern West Bank. The Jalama court also ratified a decision to release Muhammad Yaseen and Mahdi Nazzal from Qalqilia and Isam Kamal from Tulkarem, but the decision to release the latter was postponed for 72 hours. [end] Detained Palestinian legislator sent to hospital due to serious health concerns Staff - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/5/2007 Hamed Al Bitawi, the Hamas Parliamentarian, was today moved from the Al Jalamah detention camp to an Israeli prison hospital after concerns over his health heightened. The Al Bitawi family reported on Tuesday that the MP was moved to the hospital late on Monday night after his health seriously deteriorated. Hamed Al Bitawi was kidnapped on March 25, 2007 during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank that targeted more than 40 Palestinian law makers, officials and Hamas supporters. Medical sources stated that Al Bitawi, 63, suffers from several illnesses, including diabetes and a serious heart condition. [end] Nafha Society slams the Israeli abduction of its Social Coordinator IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 6/6/2007 The Nafha Society which defends the rights of Palestinian detainees and human rights, slammed on Tuesday the Israeli authorities for kidnapping its Social Coordinator, and considered this violations as an attack against the society and its mission. The abducted coordinator is identified as Abdul-Rahman Ashour, he was taken prisoner after the army broke into his house and searched it. The Society stated that this arrest is illegal and is considered an attack against a legitimate society that has civil services in defending the rights of the Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. The Society also accused Israel of attempting to stop any society that advocates the rights of the detainees, adding that this is not the first attack against its employees. Palestinian education minister calls his arrest "illegal abduction" aimed at hurting the Palestinian government Ma’an News Agency 6/5/2007 Nablus - Ma’an - The Palestinian minister of education, Dr. Nasser Addin Ash-Sha’er, who was arrested by the Israeli forces on 24 May 2007, confirmed from his jail that his arrest was an illegal abduction. He added that this move aims to hurt the Palestinian government. Mustafa Al-Azmouti, a lawyer from the Nafha society for the defence of human and prisoners’ rights, who visited the minister in his jail in Jalama detention centre, said that he met with Ash-Sha’er and the other detained state minister, Wasfi Qabaha. The lawyer added that the Israeli military court transferred both ministers to administrative detention, which refers to detention without trial or charge, and which can be extended indefinitely under Israeli military law. The lawyer also said that he visited many other detained Palestinian officials... Families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails demonstrate in front of the ICRC building Ma’an News Agency 6/5/2007 Tulkarem- Ma’an – The families of Palestinian prisoners in the Tulkarem area organized a sit-in strike demonstration in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) building, appealing to all local and international societies to pay more attention to the suffering of the Palestinian prisoners and to exert pressure on Israel to release them. Head of Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) in Tulkarem, Halima Irmeilat, told Ma’an "the strike today is part of the 40th anniversary of 1967 six-day war commemoration." She urged the societies concerned with the issue of prisoners to work concertedly on releasing the Palestinian prisoners. [end] Palestinian Prisoner loses eye during interrogation in Israeli detention camp Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 6/4/2007 Asem Dabaya, a released Palestinian prisoner from the northern West Bank city of Jenin, lost his eye during the interrogation he was subjected to an Israeli detention camp. Dabaya, 24, who spent 25 months in the Israeli detention camp known as Btaah Tikva, paid a fee of 2000 NIS in order to get out of detention camp. He was kidnapped by the Israeli army while he was going to the city of Jericho were he works as a security officer in the Palestinian Authority. During the interrogation the Israeli secret police tortured him heavily for a sustained period of time. After telling the authorities that he had an eye problem, the interrogators hit his damaged eye in attempt to force a confession from him. The Israeli detention camp administration refused him medical help until his situation became critical, after which he was moved to a military hospital for treatment. Detainee loses fingers as army break into detention facility IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 6/4/2007 The Popular Committees in Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank, have appealed to the Red Cross and several Human Rights Groups to intervene in order to save the life of detainee Wajeeh Eshtiyyeh, who lost a number of fingers in his right hand when the Israeli army broke into the Gabloa’ detention facility. The Committee stated that Eshtiyyeh was injured when he picked up a gas bomb fired by the soldiers who broke into the facility. He is currently in need of immediate medical attention. Moreover, the Committees reported that the army is using gas bombs that explode when touched or carried. Azmi Shiokhy, head of the Committees, stated that Eshtiyyeh needs immediate surgery and appealed fpr the Red Cross to interfere and stop the violations and illegal practices against the detainees. [end] Detainees in Nafha facing inhuman treatment IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 6/4/2007 Several detainees imprisoned by the Israeli Authorities at the Al Jalama interrogation facility reported that they are facing continuous attacks and inhuman treatment by the soldiers and interrogators. The detainees told the lawyer of Nafha society for Defending the Rights of the Detainees that the interrogators are using illegal methods against the detainees during interrogations. These methods include extreme physical torture and physiological pressure. Female detainee Banan Jamal Abu al Haija stated that the interrogators refused to treat her as a human being and tortured her in addition to practicing illegal methods of intimidation and abusive behaviors. The lawyer visited several detainees including sameh Thabit, Abid Suleiman Mahdi Nazzal, Mohammad Wajeeh, Nibal al Khattab, raja’ey Ammoury, Ahmad asim, Nidal abu Hilal, and Mahmoud Mustafa. PPS report: "Soldiers kidnapped 69 residents in Hebron in May" Saed Bannoura - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 6/4/2007 The Hebron office of the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) reported that the Israeli army kidnapped 69 residents, including 11 children, from Hebron district in the southern part of the West Bank during the month of May. A total of 436 residents were kidnapped by the army in Hebron since the beginning of the year, among them 25 residents who need medical attention. Amjad Al Najjar, head of the PPS office in Hebron, reported that the army carried continuous attacks in Hebron since the beginning of this year and kidnapped mayors, heads of local councils and civilians. Al Najjar stated that the army attacked the kidnapped residents and their families causing dozens of injuries and described the Israeli invasion as brutal. He added that several residents were kidnapped on checkpoints and crossings. Egypt veteran’s fight for justice Al Jazeera 6/3/2007 As part of a special series of eyewitness accounts marking the 40th anniversary of the 1967 war, Al Jazeera talks to Amin Mohamed Darwish, a former Sinai prisoner. He recalls his days in captivity and how they have impacted him and his friend, Gomaa Hassan, also captured during Israel’s invasion of the peninsula. My name is Amin Mohammad Darwish, I am 64-years-old and I was taken as a prisoner of war in 1967. My friend Gomaa Hassan was captured with me. We also worked for the same firm in Alexandria and I was his supervisor before he retired. I have always understood Gomaa’s mental and physical condition. He was repeatedly beaten on the head during his capture at the Atlit camp for prisoners of war (POWs) in Israel. Long historyGomaa’s abuse affected his condition, and he now suffers mental and physical impairments. Palestinian boy dies after being shot during a protest against his relative’s abduction Ma’an News Agency 6/3/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – An 18-year-old Palestinian boy, Rabi’ Abid Rabbo, died on Saturday evening after he sustained wounds during a demonstration against the abduction of Majdi Abid Rabbo in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip. Majdi Abid Rabbo is the chauffeur of the retired Palestinian intelligence officer, Brigadier Abu Yasmin Abu Samhadana, and was abducted on Saturday after gunmen forced the passengers out of his car and took him captive. Majdi is also a member of the Palestinian intelligence service. He was released a few hours after his abduction and transferred to hospital to receive treatment for injuries he sustained during torture. Rabi’ was injured when Majdi’s family demonstrated against his abduction in Jabalia, gunmen blocked the path of the protestors and shot at the crowds, injuring Rabi’ in his abdomen.  Articles
Ran HaCohen: Blood is in the Air Ran HaCohen, Palestine Chronicle 6/27/2007 Let me suggest another option. Fatah’s defeat in Gaza was all but foreseeable; ask any analyst, or consult last year’s election results. Israel/U.S. didn’t do anything to help Abbas survive there, simply because they couldn’t care less. An amazing discussion indeed. Never mind the fact that the Strip and the West Bank have actually been separated by Israel for years, forcing even the Palestinian parliament resort to video conferences as the only way to "convene." What’s appalling about this discussion is that just as the Palestinians are as far as ever from having an independent state, Israelis indulge in a fantasy in which such a state already exists, perhaps even two of them. Indeed, when the gods want to destroy a nation, they make it blind first. Back to Reality Obviously, there is no Palestinian state, and there may never be one (or two). The Gaza Strip is "an independent state" just like any prison cell is: a hermetically sealed cage, overpopulated by 1.3 million people; no sea port or airport; no control over its own borders, waters, or airspace; even its population database, not to mention water, food, electricity, gasoline, and medical equipment, are all strictly controlled by Israel. Money for Nothing Joharah Baker for MIFTAH, MIFTAH 6/27/2007 This is crunch time for the new emergency government. It knows all too well that it has a small window of opportunity to prove its ability to pull the Palestinians back from the throes of poverty and social and political disintegration. With Hamas still ruling the streets of Gaza and mutual accusations between this party and Fateh over who is to blame for the current state of misery, President Mahmoud Abbas and new Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad are placing their bets on hard currency – the euros, greenbacks and riyals they know is the key to their survival. It was long ago when the Palestinians fell into the trap of international funding – basically, the signing of the Oslo Accords marked the first paycheck handed to the fledgling Palestinian Authority at the expense of their ultimate freedom over their own destiny. Since then, the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been prisoners to this financial assistance. When the political leadership was favorable to the funders – mainly the United States and Europe – the dollars flowed. During the decade after the PA was created with Fateh at the helm, investment in the Palestinian territories boomed and life in the West Bank and Gaza took on a semblance of normalcy, to the point where the Palestinians almost forget that their main and most challenging task was still at hand– eliminating Israeli rule over their land. Joharah Baker: A Tale of Two Governments Joharah Baker, Palestine Chronicle 6/24/2007 It is clear that this divided government will not last for long, not because Hamas lacks determination, but because this is not in the interests of Israel, the United States and least of all, Fatah. The Palestinians have been divided, yet again. Not only have these people been forced out of their homes in 1948 by the nascent Jewish state, then in 1967, they were then dissected and thrown into colonialist-fashioned categories -- West Bankers, Gazans, refugees, East Jerusalemites, Palestinian-Israelis, returnees and those in the Diaspora. Following the Oslo Accords of 1993, these distinctions became starker than ever -- West Bankers and Gazans were separated by the Erez Crossing, which effectively isolated those 1.5 million Palestinians from their brethren in the West Bank. Over the years that ensued, a culture unique to Gaza seemed to have developed and thanks to Israel and the barriers it put up around the Gazans, the idea that Gaza was somehow "different" seemed to take form. In any case, regardless of the differences that may have developed between Palestinians living in the oversized prison of the Gaza Strip and those slightly more fortunate living in the West Bank, the leadership managed to remain united. The West Bank and Gaza were always considered one political entity and part of the future Palestinian state. Felicity Arbuthnot: Guantanamo; Extraordinary Humanity Felicity Arbuthnot, Palestine Chronicle 6/22/2007 James and Jill Armstrong, retired professionals, living in the west of England and others, have had enough. They will stand as sponsor and guarantor for British residents in Guantanamo. "First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me." - Pastor Martin Niemöller The British government is, barely noticed, performing a sinister, potentially life threatening, legal slight of hand, regarding prisoners held without trial in Guantanamo Bay, uncharged with any crime, now cleared, after years of incarceration, for release. Those who have fled their countries in fear of their lives, been granted leave to remain in Britain -- refugee status the British government have now revoked, since they have been away from the country too long - in Guantanamo Bay. Therefore, they are in danger of being returned by the UK Authorities, to the countries from which they fled in terror. The (London) Independent, in an editorial (15th June 2007) calls this: "A shocking betrayal that shames our government". Katherine Hughes: The War on Charities Katherine Hughes, Palestine Chronicle 6/23/2007 Confident in his innocence and the American system of justice, Dhafir refused to accept a plea bargain, and the government piled on charges. When his case finally came to trial 19 months after his arrest, he faced a 60-count indictment of white-collar crime. At Precisely 7 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, 2006, 17 federal prisoners across the country were taken out of their cells, held in isolation for two days, then bused to the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Terre Haute, Indiana. Here the government quietly began implementing the first stages of a secret new program, the Communications Management Unit (CMU). A completely self-contained unit housing almost exclusively Arab and/or Muslim inmates, it eventually will hold approximately 85 prisoners. Special new rules set out in a "CMU Institutional Supplement" dated Nov. 30, 2006 include severe restrictions on prisoner communication. Contact with family and friends is limited; outgoing and incoming mail is monitored and copied, with a one- to two- week delivery delay; and no contact visits are allowed. Instead of 300 minutes of phone time a month, prisoners may receive only one 15-minute call a week, which the warden has the power to reduce to just three minutes a month. Unlike the usual weekly or biweekly all-day contact visits, visits in the CMU are fortwo hours, just twice a month, and are restricted to non-contact only. Calls and visits must be conducted in English unless prior arrangement is made. Free Barghouti Haaretz Editorial, Ha’aretz 6/22/2007 One of the leaders of the Palestinian people has been incarcerated for approximately five years now in Hadarim Prison, in central Israel. The time has come to release him. For years, Marwan Barghouti has tried to persuade Israelis to end the occupation through negotiation. He has gone from one Israeli party headquarters to the next, meeting with politicians across the political spectrum. He tried to persuade them in order to preempt the next confrontation. Barghouti failed, the second intifada broke out, and he himself turned to the path of violent struggle. After going underground for months, during which he still tried to address the Israeli public through its own media, Barghouti was arrested in April 2002 and prosecuted. He was sentenced for five life terms in prison, plus 40 years. It is doubtful whether arresting and prosecuting him was diplomatically wise, but there is no doubting the political wisdom of releasing him. During his years in prison, Barghouti has acted to restrain the armed struggle and bolster his people’s moderate leadership, using envoys to achieve this goal. Barghouti never left his native West Bank, never took to the habits of power characteristic of the Palestine Liberation Organization leadership in Tunisia. He became a popular leader - especially in the West Bank, and to a lesser degree in the Gaza Strip. Now You are Paralyzed, as we Promised Gideon Levy, MIFTAH 6/18/2007 "We have to make you do a little sports," the Shin Bet interrogator said, launching four successive days of questioning accompanied by brutal physical torture. The result: Luwaii Ashqar can no longer stand on his feet. He sits in his wheelchair, dressed in a fashionable quasi-military suit, super-elegant, new Caterpillar-brand shoes on his paralyzed feet. "I love this color," he says about his uniform. "It’s the color of the soldiers who came to arrest me for the interrogation that did all this to me." His smile is captivating, his Hebrew rich and incisive. He is a young man whose world fell apart. He entered prison sound of body and mind and emerged a broken man. For four days and four nights nonstop, he says, he was interrogated and subjected to torture of the most brutal kind. The result is the person we see before us in the wheelchair, in the elegant home high in the village of Saida, north of Tul Karm, which was placed at his disposal by a friend after he was released from Israeli prison a month ago. Was there a judgment by the High Court of Justice? There was. It banned precisely the types of torture he underwent: the "banana posture," the "shabah" (body stretching with hands tied to a chair), "invisible" blows and the "frog posture" (being forced to stand for hours on the toes in a crouching position) - all the way to a vicious kick to his chest that bent his body backward while he was tied to a chair with his arms and legs, and which was the probable cause of the partial paralysis of his legs. Israel’s Choice Stephane Hessel, Middle East Online 6/17/2007 It’s time for a democratically-governed Israel to grant liberal civil rights to its Arab minority. Where the leaders of the State of Israel stand now, destabilized as they are by their recent failures, it becomes urgent for those who feel a lasting friendship for the inhabitants of the country to question its destiny. It should be obvious that pursuing a policy of military strength, rampant colonization and army occupation of territories conquered by warfare, and of brutal repression of Palestinian attempts to assume their identity, only blackens the image of a country that needs to find its fair place in the Middle East. The Zionist enterprise, which labeled Palestine as a "land without a people for a people without land," has caused a great deal of harm and has irreversibly failed. Israel’s policy is now more ambiguous, more Machiavellian, but equally bound to fail: On the one hand, it confines Palestinians to a number of small, highly populated areas -- open-air prisons like the Gaza Strip and West Bank towns deprived of cultivable land, like Qalqilya, Bethlehem and Bil’in. On the other, it increases the Jewish urbanization of Jerusalem and its adjacent settlements up to the border of Jordan itself, closing off passage to West Bank Palestinians. The twilight zone / ’Now you are paralyzed, as we promised’ Gideon Levy, Ha’aretz 6/15/2007 "We have to make you do a little sports," the Shin Bet interrogator said, launching four successive days of questioning accompanied by brutal physical torture. The result: Luwaii Ashqar can no longer stand on his feet. He sits in his wheelchair, dressed in a fashionable quasi-military suit, super-elegant, new Caterpillar-brand shoes on his paralyzed feet. "I love this color," he says about his uniform. "It’s the color of the soldiers who came to arrest me for the interrogation that did all this to me." His smile is captivating, his Hebrew rich and incisive. He is a young man whose world fell apart. He entered prison sound of body and mind and emerged a broken man. For four days and four nights nonstop, he says, he was interrogated and subjected to torture of the most brutal kind. The result is the person we see before us in the wheelchair, in the elegant home high in the village of Saida, north of Tul Karm, which was placed at his disposal by a friend after he was released from Israeli prison a month ago. Was there a judgment by the High Court of Justice? There was. It banned precisely the types of torture he underwent: the "banana posture," the "shabah" (body stretching with hands tied to a chair), "invisible" blows and the "frog posture" (being forced to stand for hours on the toes in a crouching position) - all the way to a vicious kick to his chest that bent his body backward while he was tied to a chair with his arms and legs, and which was the probable cause of the partial paralysis of his legs. The Blame Game The Jordan Times (Editorial, MIFTAH 6/15/2007 A coup? A countercoup? Who is overthrowing whom? Fateh and Hamas are now officially engaged in a civil war. The spoils of victory: the Gaza Strip, an impoverished, overcrowded, underdeveloped open-air prison, a sandbox, in which the boys with the most guns can show off to precisely no one. Who to blame, when there is so much blame to go around? Everyone’s favourite punching bag, Washington, for its unwavering support of the jailor, Israel, must surely come first. No wait; let’s start with the jailor. Israel has pursued a merciless strategy of murder and destruction and left Palestinians hopelessly mired in their own defeat and weakness. The neighbours? Egypt has mediated for three years now and things have gotten progressively worse, a situation surely exacerbated by the decision to allow a battalion of trained Fateh men to cross the border into Gaza. We are forgetting Europe. Europe and its holier-than-thou sanctimoniousness that is just a cover, for whatever Washington wants, Washington gets. But ultimately, when all is said and done, when the pro-Israel lobby in Washington is excoriated, the illusion of Arab unity lamented, the hypocrisy of Europe blasted and the brutality of Israel despaired of, ultimately, blame must be placed squarely on the Palestinians. Abukar Arman: The Finkelstein Principle Abukar Arman, Palestine Chronicle 6/14/2007 Like Carter, Finkelstein surrendered to his conscience and decided to swim against the political tides, daring to set the truth in motion. Just like all other actions, speaking the truth has its reaction and indeed price. A few months ago, I was honored to join two Middle East experts-- Professor John Mueller and Professor John Quigley-- in a panel discussion on Jimmy Carter’s "controversial" book (Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid). As I, a small-time writer, was franticly searching for material to make me sound halfway intelligent, I came across numerous articles, essays, and reviews that offered little or no refutation of the content of the book and instead focused on the author’s alleged "anti-Semitic" motive. Leading that ad hominem campaign was none other than Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard. No surprise there, as the long time civil-libertarian has lately turned into a blatant advocate of legalizing torture, executing collective punishment, and sustaining the brutal subjugation of the Palestinian people. As I continued my search, I was distracted by a profoundly more caustic campaign of character assassination by Dershowitz and company aimed at Assistant Professor Norman Finkelstein of DePaul. No Body, No Grave, No Tombstone Gideon Levy, MIFTAH 6/11/2007 Jackson weeps quietly. The tears stream down his face. He never got to know his older brother, but he can’t keep from crying whenever people talk about Sami. Sami was drafted into the Jordanian army a few days before the start of the Six-Day War and since then, it’s as if the earth just swallowed him up. Someone saw him training at a base near Jericho, and there were rumors that he was in an Israeli prison or fell in the battle for Jerusalem. Some people even claim that he switched identities and now works for the Mossad espionage agency, or that he became a "guinea pig" for the nuclear reactor in Dimona. Rumor followed rumor over the years, and all were found to be baseless. Four decades later, the hopes of seeing Sami alive again have almost been dashed completely. His elderly father sits in his tiny grocery store in the Jenin refugee camp, clutching his picture. His elderly mother has lost her mind after staring endlessly at the picture of her missing son. Meanwhile, her younger son cries and cries, even though years have passed and he didn’t even know his brother. They’ve searched everywhere for him - in Israel, in Jordan, via the Red Cross - but hope that Sami will show up is dying. Sami was born in 1948, a child of refugees. When he was 19, Jordanian soldiers came and drafted him into their army; he would be 59 today. "Sami must have fallen in battle, may God have mercy on him," murmurs his father, and Jackson nods as the tears well up once more. Twilight Zone / No body, no grave, no tombstone Gideon Levy, Ha’aretz 6/7/2007 Jackson weeps quietly. The tears stream down his face. He never got to know his older brother, but he can’t keep from crying whenever people talk about Sami. Sami was drafted into the Jordanian army a few days before the start of the Six-Day War and since then, it’s as if the earth just swallowed him up. Someone saw him training at a base near Jericho, and there were rumors that he was in an Israeli prison or fell in the battle for Jerusalem. Some people even claim that he switched identities and now works for the Mossad espionage agency, or that he became a "guinea pig" for the nuclear reactor in Dimona. Rumor followed rumor over the years, and all were found to be baseless. Four decades later, the hopes of seeing Sami alive again have almost been dashed completely. His elderly father sits in his tiny grocery store in the Jenin refugee camp, clutching his picture. His elderly mother has lost her mind after staring endlessly at the picture of her missing son. Meanwhile, her younger son cries and cries, even though years have passed and he didn’t even know his brother. They’ve searched everywhere for him - in Israel, in Jordan, via the Red Cross - but hope that Sami will show up is dying. Abandoned behind bars Haaretz Editorial, Ha’aretz 6/6/2007 The defender’s office found grave omissions in all the facilities it had inspected. -- The Israel Prisons Service (IPS) is allowing prisoners to study and prepare for their matriculation exams. As was reported earlier this week, some of them pass the tests with flying colors. This is happy news indeed, especially because most prisoner rehabilitation programs initiated by various experts to be implemented with the government ministries have suffered drastic cutbacks in recent years. Acquiring an education is a tested means of rehabilitation if the prisoners are attended to after their release through a proper rehabilitation framework. But the good news and news of physical renovations at several other prisons pale in comparison to the severe malfunctions recently revealed in the public defender’s latest report on conditions in prisons and detention facilities. The defender’s office found grave omissions in all the facilities it had inspected. Anyone familiar with the conditions at the detention facilities (especially those next to courts) would not be surprised by the report. But even those familiar with the situation would find it hard not to be shocked by the descriptions in the document’s 60-odd pages. The Jordan Valley and Israel’s Invisible Wall Anna Baltzer writing from the Jordan Valley, occupied Palestine Live, Electronic Intifada 6/4/2007 15 May 2007 A few weeks ago I attended an event commemorating Palestinian Prisoner’s Day at Al Far’a Refugee Camp in the Tubas area. To enter the theatrical and cultural spectacle we had to pass through a makeshift checkpoint with soldiers pointing their guns in our faces and screaming in Hebrew for us to get back. Although I knew these were Palestinian actors role-playing the harassment they experience daily, it was very frightening to have men with guns yell at me in a foreign language and stick killing machines in my face. I realized immediately that although I witness harassment at checkpoints constantly, as a white Jewish American woman of extreme privilege I can never really know what it feels like to go through one as a Palestinian. I suspected the actors had been instructed to especially focus on Western attendees to illustrate some of the abusive behavior we remain so shielded from. It was very effective. Inside the spectacle, hundreds of locals and visitors were watching performers depict typical scenes of interrogation, abuse, and torture of Palestinians in Israeli prisons and detention centers. Some of the actors wore blindfolds, handcuffs, and chains and gave moving monologues about the injustice of abuse and imprisonment without trial in an occupier’s land. Others played Israeli soldiers and guards. After the play as a finale, young Palestinian boys danced to signify cultural pride and continuity in spite of monstrous hardships and injustices. LinksAdalah Adalah (Justice in Arabic) is the first non-profit, non-sectarian Palestinian-run legal center in Israel. The main goal of Adalah’s work is to achieve equal rights and minority rights protections for Palestinian citizens of Israel. Addameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Organization: Addameer (conscience) is a Palestinian non-governmental, civil institution which focuses on human rights issues. Supports Palestinian prisoners, advocates for rights of political prisoners, works to end torture. Amnesty International Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. AI’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. Amnesty International USA Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. AI’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. Arab Association for Human Rights - HRA The HRA was founded in 1988 to promote and protect the political, civil, economic, and cultural rights of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel and to further the domestic implementation of international human rights principles. It is an independent non-governmental organisation registered in Israel. Association for Civil Rights in Israel - ACRI The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) was founded in 1972 as a non-political and independent body, with the goal of protecting human and civil rights in Israel and in the territories under Israeli control. B’tselem The Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide. Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. Occupation Prisoners News stories and reports about Palestinian prisoners from International Press Center, of the Palestinian National Authority’s State Information Service. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is an independent legal body based in Gaza City dedicated to protecting human rights, promoting the rule of law, and upholding democratic principles in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Palestinian Prisoners Society The Palestinian Prisoner Society is a social and human institution and its members are prisoners inside prisons and released prisoners. Membership is open to every Palestinian prisoner inside and outside prisons who meets the conditions of membership. Physicians for Human Rights - Israel Physicians for Human Rights - Israel (PHR-Israel) was established in 1988 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, dedicated to promoting and protecting the medical human rights of all residents of Israel and the Occupied Territories. Public Committee Against Torture in Israel - PCATI An independent human rights organization founded that monitors the implementation conditions in detention centers and continues the struggle against the use of torture in interrogation in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine The main collection contains the texts of current and historical United Nations material concerning the question of Palestine and other issues related to the Middle East situation and the search for peace. World Organisation Against Torture OMCT is today the largest international coalition of NGOs fighting against torture,summary executions, forced disappearances and all other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in order to preserve Human Rights. It has at its disposal a network, SOS Torture, consisting of some 240 non-governmental organisations which act as sources of information.
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