Vermonters
for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
Prisoners Archive - December 2007
Treatment of Prisoners and Detainees by Israel and Others
Prisoners Archive - December 2007
Treatment of Prisoners and Detainees by Israel and Others
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for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel Prisoners Archive - December 2007 Treatment of Prisoners and Detainees by Israel and Others |
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Corpse of Palestinian prisoner who died in Israeli jail sent to his family in Qabatia near jenin Ma’an News Agency 12/31/2007 Jenin Ma’an The Israeli authorities on Sunday evening handed over the corpse of Islamic Jihad’ activist Fadi Abu Ar-Rub, who died on Saturday in the Israeli Gilbou’ prison. The victim’s family said the corpse arrived in an Israeli ambulance to Al-Jalama crossing west of Jenin in the northern West Bank and was taken in a Palestinian ambulance to a governmental hospital in Jenin for examination. The spokesperson of the Islamic Jihad in Jenin said that the funeral procession would be held on Monday at 9 in the morning from jenin heading to the victim’s town of origin, Qabatia south of Jenin. The Palestinian minister of prisoners’ affairs Ashraf Al-Ajrami visited the family in Qabatia to offer condolences, and he promised that the Palestinian authority would follow up with investigations over the death of Abu Ar-Rub holding the Israelis responsible for that. 193 detainees died in Israeli prisons since 1967 IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 12/31/2007 Abdul-Nasser Farawna, head of the Census Department at the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees, specialized researcher in the issue of detainees, stated on Saturday that 193 Palestinian detainees died in Israeli prisons and detention facilities since 1967. Farwana stated that 73 detainees died in Israeli prisons in the period between 1967 and December 1987, 120 detainees died in Israeli prisons during the first Intifada in the period between 1987 and December 1994, eight more detainees died in the period between 1994 and 2000. 70 more detainees died during the Al Aqsa Intifada in the period between September 28, 2000 and December 2007. Farwana also stated that 70 of the deceased detainees died of torture, 47 detainees died of medical negligence, in addition to 76 were practically executed after arrest; the latest casualty of execution after arrest is detainee Mohammad Al Ashram who was shot and killed while in detention. Palestinian dies in Israeli detention Report, PCHR, Electronic Intifada 12/30/2007 Palestinian prisoner Fadi Abd al-Latif Abu al-Rob (21) from the town of Qabatia near Jenin died in the Israeli prison of Jalbou’ on the evening of 28 December 2007. The prisoner was a member of Islamic Jihad detained on 29 June 2007. According to information gathered by PCHR, Fadi suffered an illness on the morning of the day he died. He was transferred to the prison clinic. However, his condition deteriorated and the Israeli Prisons Authority announced his death in the evening without specifying the cause. Fadi is the fifth Palestinian prisoner to die in Israeli jails during 2007. Four died as a result of medical negligence and the fifth was shot in the head by an anti-riot unit that broke into sections G1 and G2 of the Ketziot (Ansar III) detention center in the Negev. It is noted that Palestinian prisoners are suffering very harsh and cruel conditions as a result of the deterioration in prison conditions and in the healthcare provided. Palestinian political detainee dies due to medical negligence Najeep Faraj, International Middle East Media Center 12/29/2007 Palestinian sources reported on Saturday that a Palestinian political detainee held in an Israeli detention facility died on Friday night after the Israeli authorities refused to provide him with the needed medical help. Abu Al Rob was kidnapped by Israeli troops in July 2006 and the Israeli security services claimed that he is a member of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad. The security services also claimed that Abu Al Rob was kidnapped for his involvement in resistance actions against the Israeli army but none of the chargers were proven in court, and he was placed under administrative detention. The Palestinian Prisoners society issued a statement on Saturday stating that the center was informed by several Palestinians detainees who are in the same detention camp with Abu Al Rob that he was suffering from several severe illnesses and that the Israeli... Cop gets community service for shooting Kafr Qasem resident Ofra Edelman and Yoav Sterns, Ha’aretz 12/30/2007 A Tel Aviv Court on Sunday sentenced a Border Policeman who shot and paralyzed a Kafr Qasem resident to six months of community service and a one-year suspended prison term. In 2003, Haim Castro shot Salah Amar from a distance of a half a meter, claiming that his life was in danger and he acted in self defense. The court dismissed this claim and ruled there was no threat to Castro’s life. Since the shooting, Amar has been listed as 100 percent disabled. Although 20 Israeli citizens have been killed by security forces since the outbreak of the Second Intifada in September 2000, Castro is the first person to be convicted of shooting an Israeli citizen. Castro was serving at the time as a driver in a Border Police jeep in Kafr Qasem. During a patrol of the city in 2003, members of Castro’s unit became involved in a scuffle with local residents. Palestinian prisoner dies in Israeli jail Ma’an News Agency 12/29/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an Twenty-year-old Palestinian prisoner Fadi Abu Ar-Rab died at the Israeli Gilboa prison on Friday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said. Ar-Rab was from the town of Qabatia, near the West Bank city of Jenin. He was a member of Islamic Jihad’s military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades. Israeli forces detained him on July 29thno charges of planting explosive devices and aiding other wanted activists. The Prisoners’ Society said Ar-Rab died because of inadequate medical treatment inside the facility. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronothconfirmed that a prisoner had died at Gilboa due to deterioration in his health. [end] A female prisoner is about to give birth in Israeli detention center Najeeb Farraj, International Middle East Media Center 12/27/2007 Fatima Al Zuq is from Gaza and was kidnapped a few months ago, she’s the fourth Palestinian prisoner to give birth inside an Israeli prison since the beginning of the Al Aqsa Intifada. [end] Alasra centre for research warns of the continuous medical negligence in the Israeli detentions Ali Samoudi, International Middle East Media Center 12/26/2007 The Alasra for research and Israeli studies centre warned of continuous medical negligence in Israeli detention centres. The centre appealed for the Red Cross and Human Rights organizations to intervene to bring and end to this misconduct. The centre claimed that there are countless Palestinians inside Israeli centres who are suffering from serious diseases but receive no medical treatment and are denied visits from their relatives. Ra’fat Hamdouna, director of the centre presented a petition to the Human rights organization and other organizations concerned about the prisoners asking for their intervention to bring an end to the assault against these prisoners. [end] Second soldier arrested on suspicion of abusing Palestinian Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 12/25/2007 After soldier from Givati Brigade arrested on suspicion of beating Palestinian detainee, Military Police arrest second soldier in case. Despite their denials, remand of both extended - Another soldier from the Givati Brigade was arrested on suspicion of beating a Palestinian detainee on Monday. The Southern Command Military Court extended his remand for four days while Military Police investigate the incident. He is accused of being involved in the abuse of a Palestinian who was hit in the head repeatedly with a blunt object while he was held at a military facility in the West Bank. During the court proceeding on Monday, it came to light that the Palestinian detainee in question also had his wooden prayer beads stolen form him during the incident. The first soldier to be arrested in the case maintains his innocence in the matter. Palestinian prisoner battered, soldiers shield culprit Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 12/23/2007 Dozens of Givati Brigade soldiers present as one of their own batters Palestinian prisoner with blunt object. None of the soldiers willing to confess. One soldier, still in custody, refuses to name guilty party, claims ’I am innocent’. IDF Prosecutor’s Office: ’This is aggravated assault’ - For the past two weeks, Givati Brigade commanders and Military Police investigators have labored tirelessly to track down two soldiers who battered a Palestinian detainee in Nablus. Dozens of soldiers were present during this incident, yet none are willing to name those responsible. One soldier was arrested in connection with this incident Friday, and a military court ordered his arrest be extended for four additional days. The detained soldier is unwilling to name those involved, and says that "he is not responsible" for these actions. Palestinian prisoners in Guinness Book of Records Ma’an News Agency 12/23/2007 Bethlehem The director of the statistics department in the Palestinian ministry of Prisoners and Freed Prisoners, Abdul-Nasser Farawnah released on Sunday a comprehensive report about the long term Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails showing that many of them have entered the Guinness Book of Records. According to the report, Palestinian prisoner Sa’id Al-Ataba has been detained for more than 30 years which is the longest imprisonment in the world. No other political prisoner had served such a long period ; Nelson Mandela had served 26 years, and Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of former US president John Kennedy served 28 years in prison. The report also adds that 232 Palestinian prisoners have already served more than 15 years in Israeli jails including 73 who have served more than 20 years. Gazan children stage protest demanding identity cards for parents Ma’an News Agency 12/22/2007 Gaza Ma’an Hundreds of children staged a sit-in in Gaza’s central square on Saturday to demand the issuance of identity cards to their parents. The children raised banners calling on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and international institutions facilitate identity papers for Palestinians who still lack them, preventing them from ever leaving "the prison of Gaza." Talal Abu Tharifa, a member of the Central Committee of the leftist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), stressed the need to find a solution to the problem of Palestinians who have no identity card or passport, and therefore have no freedom of movement. Abu Tharifa also highlighted the particular problem of Palestinians who returned to the occupied territories after the Oslo peace agreements of the 1990s. Do’a Kishta, a young girl who participated in the demonstration, said,... Darfur refugee with cancer, selected for release, kept in jail Haaretz staff and Channel 10, Ha’aretz 12/22/2007 Haaretz. com/Channel 10 daily feature for December 22, 2007. Adam Mohammad, who is ill with leukemia, is recognized by the UN as a refugee and was one of 500 Sudanese refugees who were granted legal status in Israel by the prime minister. Unfortunately for Mohammad, he was undergoing medical treatments for cancer on the day most of the refugees were released from Ketziot jail and received their new status. Having missed the release date, he is still a prisoner at Ketziot, leaving the premises only for treatment sessions at Soroka Medical Center. [end] Israeli military court extends detention of West Bank Hamas leader Ma’an News Agency 12/22/2007 Gaza Ma’an An Israeli military court renewed the administrative detention of Hamas leader Sheikh Saleh Aruri on Friday, sentencing him to another six months in Ashkelon prison. Aruri is the founder of the branch of Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, in the West Bank. The Israeli military captured Aruri most recently on September 26th, and he has been held without charge since then. Under Israel’s policy of administrative detention, Palestinians can be imprisoned without charge for months. Originally from the village of Arura, near Ramallah, Aruri is a graduate of Hebron University. [end] Female prisoner released from Israeli custody Ma’an News Agency 12/20/2007 Tulkarem Ma’an A twenty-five-year old Palestinian woman was released from Israeli custody on Thursday after ten months in an Israeli jail. Asma Yousif Ibrahim Saleh, from Bal’a, near Tulkarem was detained was on her way to pray at the Al-Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron, where Muslims are now forbidden from praying. The Israeli authorities claimed she was caught in possession of a knife and attempted to stab one of the Israeli soldiers guarding the mosque. After her release Saleh said that the situation inside the prison was very hard and urged the Palestinian government to work hard for the release of other Palestinian female prisoners. [end] Soldiers indicted on charges of abusing Palestinian prisoners Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 12/20/2007 Yearlong investigation culminates in indictment of five soldiers accused of beating 13 Palestinian prisoners under their charge, forcing them to eat Israeli snacks - At the conclusion of an investigation lasting more than a year, the Military Advocate General has charged five soldiers from the Nahshon Battalion with three counts of aggravated assault. Three of the soldiers have already been discharged from the army and one was transferred to another unit. Only one soldier remains in active duty in the battalion. According to the indictment, the soldiers were responsible for transferring 13 Palestinian detainees from the Tulkarm Regional Brigade to an IDF military court in northern Israel in April 2006. During the journey, the soldiers grabbed the prisoners by their hair, struck their chests and necks and demanded they repeat the number soldiers had previously assigned them with. Israeli police seize 65 undocumented Palestinian workers in Tel Aviv Ma’an News Agency 12/17/2007 Bethlehem Ma’an Israeli police detained 65 Palestinians in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening on charges of entering and working in Israel illegally, Israeli media said on Monday. The police also seized an employer and a driver who allegedly helped the workers to enter Israel without permits. 44 of the detainees have been released. Another 21 remain in Israeli custody. [end] Israel lets Gazans leave for Hajj BBC Online 12/16/2007 Almost 500 Palestinians have been allowed to leave the Gaza Strip to make the Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Israel has confirmed. The Palestinians left Gaza on Sunday by the Erez checkpoint, controlled by Israel and usually closed to civilians. The 491 pilgrims were taken by bus to the West Bank, before heading to Jordan and then a flight to Saudi Arabia. Israel described the decision to allow the group to make the pilgrimage as a goodwill gesture to the Palestinians. A second group of roughly the same number is due to leave Gaza on Monday, said Ashraf al-Ajrami, Palestinian Minister for Prisoners’ Affairs. Israel’s move follows Egypt’s decision to allow 700 pilgrims out of Gaza through the Rafah crossing last week. In another move described as a goodwill gesture Israel also recently freed hundreds of Palestinian held prisoner in Israel. Detainees families hold a protest in front of the Red Cross office in Tulkarem IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 12/12/2007 Hundreds of families of Palestinian detainees imprisoned by Israel held a protest in front of the Red Cross Office in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem and appealed human rights groups and the Red Cross to intervene and allow the entry of warm clothes to their detained family members. The families carried pictures of the detained beloved ones and were accompanied by international peace activists. Mother of detainee Kamal Shalaby, who is sentenced to 25 years, stated that her son was taken prisoner five years ago and is suffering from bad health condition and problems in his ears. She added that she was only able to visit her detained son three times and that he is currently in immediate need for medical attention and medications as he was hit by bullet fragments in his head and ear when he was arrested. Red Cross calls on Israel to reinstate family visitation rights for Gazan prisoners Ma’an News Agency 12/10/2007 Bethlehem Ma’an Israel is violating international humanitarian law by not allowing residents of the Gaza Strip to visit their relatives in Israeli prisons, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday. Israel suspended visitation rights for Palestinians living in Gaza on June 6th. On Monday the ICRC called for Israeli authorities to reinstate those rights. "It is impossible to understand that such a decision is taken solely on security grounds. Family visits to Israeli prisons have been organized for decades and they have always been subject to thorough security checks by the competent authorities, as is currently the case for residents of the West Bank. There is no reason for this six-month suspension of family visits for Gaza residents," said Christoph Harnisch, the ICRC’s Head of Delegation in Tel Aviv. Prisoners’ families protest at the Red Cross in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 12/10/2007 Gaza Ma’an Several recently released Palestinian prisoners attended a sit-in, organized by their families, in front of the Red Cross/Red Crescent office in Gaza City on Monday. Twenty-five-year-old Khalid Baraka, who was freed after serving four years out of a ten-year prison sentence, described conditions in Israeli prisons as extremely poor. He said healthcare in the prisons has deteriorated, pointing out that several detainees suffer from kidney failure and other ailments. Baraka called upon Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to make the release of prisoners a top priority in peace negotiations, urging him to turn down any agreement that does not address the issue. This demonstration follows the release of 429 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails last Monday, a move which Israel called a ’goodwill gesture’ towards the Palestinian Authority and which was intended to strengthen President Abbas over the rival Hamas faction. Press mogul faces jail time Reuters, YNetNews 12/9/2007 Canadian press baron Conrad Black found guilty on one count of obstructing justice, three counts of defrauding shareholders; faces up to 10 years in prison - - Conrad Black, once one of the world’s most powerful press barons but now a convicted felon, will likely be sentenced on Monday to no more than 10 years in prison, legal analysts said. Defense lawyers and prosecutors have sparred over a possible sentence since the Canadian-born British peer was found guilty in July of one count of obstructing justice and three counts of defrauding shareholders of former publishing giant Hollinger International Inc. Once the overseer of Hollinger’s far-flung newspaper empire that spanned from Jerusalem to Vancouver before much of its holdings were sold off, Black was acquitted on nine other charges, including racketeering conspiracy. Palestinian interim gov’t says reopening Rafah crossing needs Israeli approval Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 12/6/2007 RAMALLAH, Dec 6, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Palestinian minister of prisoners’ affairs under the caretaker government based in this West Bank city said Thursday that reopening the Rafah crossing in the Hamas- ruled Gaza Strip was subject to Israel’s approval. According to Ashraf al-Ajrami, the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt can be reopened based on the 2005 U.S. - brokered Agreement on Movement and Access, which gives the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Egypt the control on the terminal with European monitors as third party. "The issue of the crossing is complicated because the agreement involves four sides which must approve the opening and we think the problem was at the Israeli side," al-Ajrami said. "If Israel has accepted, there will be no opposition by Egypt or the Europeans," he added. Detainees in Al Jalama threaten to hold a hunger strike IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 12/10/2007 Palestinian detainees imprisoned in Al Jalama Israeli detention facility threatened to hold an open-ended hunger strike in protest to the Israeli escalations against them including solitary confinement against several detainees, bad food and medical negligence. The detainees stated that there are several detainees who are sick and need immediate medical attention but the prison administration is neglecting their rights and refusing to provide them with the needed medical treatments. Meanwhile, detainees in Ayalon Israeli prison complained of harsh living conditions and repeated attacks by the soldiers. The detainees also complained that they are not receiving any financial aid from the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and are unable to buy any food from the prison canteen as it is very expensive while the food provided to them is insufficient and of a bad quality. Report: Ratio of hospital beds per capita lowest in the West Aviram Zino, YNetNews 12/9/2007 The Association for Civil Rights in Israel publishes damning new report on the dreadful state of the public health system and discrimination by public institutions against certain groups: the poor, immigrants, and Arabs - Israeli health services are coping with a serious erosion in government funding which is sending ripples through the health system, with hospitals hardest hit. This is the picture that emerges from the annual report of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), published Sunday. The report also brings to light harsh statistics concerning discrimination by public institutions against different populations, including residents of outlying areas, the poor, day laborers, immigrants, Arabs, and prisoners. The document’s first chapter, entitled "It’s better to be rich and healthy," presents statistical evidence of er osion in government funding for public health services. Israeli court extends administrative detention for 28 Palestinians Ma’an News Agency 12/8/2007 Nablus Ma’an The attorney of Nafha society for defending prisoners’ and human rights said on Saturday that the Israeli military court of ’Ufer has extended administrative detention for 28 Palestinian prisoners. According to Nafha’s attorney, eight prisoners were sentenced to a further six months; 11 detainees were sentenced to a further four months and 13 other prisoners were sentenced to a further three months. The Nafha society also denounced the detention of more than 900 Palestinians who are being held in so-called administrative detention, which is imprisonment without any charges. They said some of the detainees have been in detention for more than four years. [end] European doctors: Israel responsible for humanitarian crisis in Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 12/8/2007 Gaza Ma’an A delegation of doctors from Germany, Switzerland and Spain visited the Gaza Strip on Friday, warning the world of a looming humanitarian disaster there if the Israeli siege continues. "It is unjust to punish the people as a whole. Israel is detaining all the Palestinians in a big prison ’Ghetto’ similar to what happened with the Jews in World War Two," said Dr Walter Conti, a Swiss physician who led the delegation. Conti called on Israel to withdraw from the territories occupied in 1967 and implement relevant United Nations resolutions. Israel has closed the Gaza Strip’s border crossings, and restricted essential supplies of food, fuel, electricity, building supplies and medicine. Last week the Palestinian Health ministry warned that Gazan hospitals are running out of fuel used to run emergency generators. Documentary: Jewish struggle behind the Iron Curtain Ynetnews, YNetNews 12/6/2007 Accompanied by former Soviet Jewish activist and Prisoner of Zion Natan Sharansky, American filmmaker Laura Bialis will screen her documentary for first time ever on history of ’Refusenik’ movement at Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival December 6 - - Among the films at this week’s 9th annual Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival is the first ever full length documentary to chronicle the 30-year struggle to free the Jews of Soviet Russia. Produced and directed by an up-and-coming American filmmaker by the name of Laura Bialis, " Refusenik " takes viewers on a journey through modern Jewish history, starting with reports in the 1960’s of rampant anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union. While information was scant at first, news of professional and educational limits on Jews behind the Iron curtain as well as severely restricted freedom of movement and prohibitions on Jewish... Army chief: We should free prisoners only in exchange for Shalit Ynet, YNetNews 12/6/2007 Lit. -Gen. Ashkenazi tells Army Radio Israel wrong to release security prisoners without demanding kidnapped soldier’s release in return. Ashkenazi says efforts to free three Israeli captives are rigorous and ongoing - - Israel should only free Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held in Gaza since June 2006, IDF Chief of Staff Lit. -Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Wednesday. In an interview to Army Radio, Ashkenazi was asked about his objection to the release of Palestinian security prisoners during the previous round of paroles, and explained that in his view, Israel was wrong to free prisoners without demanding Shalit’s release in return. "Of course, if this is related to Shalit’s release or can jumpstart or promote it, it should considered," he stated. Israeli Army Raids Zawata Village for the Second Time This Week International Solidarity Movement 12/5/2007 Nablus Region Photos On the evening of December 2nd, the Israeli army invaded Zawata, a village just north of Nablus. At around 2 am approximately 10 army jeeps pulled into the village, shooting live ammunition into the air and firing tear gas and sound bombs. The soldiers proceeded to enter several houses, arresting 8 men. The army stayed in Zawata for two hours before leaving at 4 am. This is the second time this week that the army has invaded Zawata, following an earlier raid on the evening of November 26th in which 14 men were arrested, two of which are still being held in Huwwara prison. During the recent invasion, Israeli soldiers entered several houses, arresting men inside and ransacking the property of the people who live there. The ages of the men arrested, seemingly at random, range from 20 to 32. News in Brief Ha’aretz 12/6/2007 The National Council for the Child Welfare (NCC) yesterday urged police to indict a Jerusalem couple whose car was stolen earlier this week with their baby in it. The law enables courts to sentence parents to prison for up to three years for leaving a child under six without proper supervision or in a position of endangerment. "We must act before another disaster occurs," NCC chairman Dr. Yitzhak Kadman told police. Police only questioned the parents after their daughter had been found safe and sound. (Ruth Sinai) A mother-and-daughter pair was indicted yesterday for attempting to hire someone to kill the younger woman’s husband. According to the charge sheet, the mother gave NIS 5,700 to a West Bank Palestinian to do the deed or find someone who could. The Palestinian went to the police, who arranged for a detective to pose as a contract killer. Hamas: Palestinians will be freed in any Hezbollah-Israel swap Yoav Stern and Jack Khoury Haaretz Correspondents, Ha’aretz 12/6/2007 Palestinian prisoners will be included in any future prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Hamas official said Wednesday. "Everyone knows that many efforts are currently invested in achieving a prisoner swap. We believe that the Palestinian prisoners will be on the exchange list," Osama Hamdan was quoted by the Lebanese news agency as saying following a meeting with the Hezbollah’s top official in southern Lebanon, Sheik Nabil Kauok. Israel Defense Forces reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were abducted by Hezbollah militants in a cross border raid on July 12, 2006. The abduction sparked the 34-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hamdan said that he hoped that Israel will release a large number of prisoners in exchange for Goldwasser and Regev, in order to demonstrate... Palestinian prisoner sentenced to 125 years for killing Israeli official Mayssa Abu Ghazalaeh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 12/3/2007 The Palestinian political detainee Hamdi Qur’an was sentenced by the Israeli central court in Jerusalem on Monday. He was handed down a life sentence and 100 additional years in prison. Qur’an was accused of killing the right wing Israeli tourism minister Rahba’am Zaivi. Zaivi was killed in 2001 by the Palestinian faction; the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian. The Israeli official had been known for his radical views, among them publicly calling for Palestinians to be forced off their lands. Qur’ans’ lawyer, Imeel Mashriki told IMEMC that the court had accused Qur’an of the murder of Za’izi and five additional charges. Qur’an was arrested by Palestinian police along with three other PFLP members in 2002, following the Israeli forces attack on the late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat’s’ compound, in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, where he was being held. Israeli army kidnaps 15 in Hebron during large-scale military operation Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 12/3/2007 Israeli military forces kidnapped at least 15 Palestinians during a large-scale military operation in different areas of the Hebron district in the southern West Bank. The Prisoner Society in Hebron reported that the military invaded the city of Hebron, Sureef and Tafouh town and the al Aroub and al Fuwar refugee camps. During the operation, several homes were invaded and locals were attacked. Residents were forcibly detained outside while there homes were ransacked. The Israeli military also abducted several Palestinians including Ahmad Rafay’ah, Nader Maswada and Najeh Abu Sneina. All were moved to an unknown detention center. The Prisoner center condemned the operation and saw it as part of an increased Israeli military operation in the West Bank which has led to 42 Palestinians being put in prison in recent days. Ze’evi’s killer gets life plus 100 years Ofra Edelman, Ha’aretz 12/5/2007 The killer of minister Rehavam Ze’evi was sentenced yesterday to life imprisonment for the murder. He was also sentenced by the Jerusalem District Court to 100 more years for five other convictions, including attempted murder and attempts to carry out terrorist attacks. Explaining their decision in the sentencing of Hamdi Kura’an, the judges wrote that "the murder of a minister is not just the murder of an individual, but a blow to the symbols of the state and a blow to its sovereignty." Ze’evi was murdered on October 17, 2001, at the Hayat Hotel in Jerusalem, while serving as tourism minister. Kura’an, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other suspects fled to the Palestinian Authority and was held in the custody of international monitors, in the Jericho prison. In March 2006, the international monitoring structure collapsed and Israel... News in Brief II Ha’aretz 12/5/2007 The National Labor Court is scheduled to decide this morning whether to issue striking secondary school teachers with back-to-work orders after it receives a response from the teachers to the government’s statement to the court, submitted on Sunday. In it, the state provided clarifications as to its willingness to grant teachers a pay hike to compensate them for wage erosion. (Or Kashti) Palestinian militants, freed in past prisoner releases by Israel, were responsible for at least 30 terror attacks which claimed the lives of 177 Israelis, according to a study published yesterday by Almagor, an organization representing the victims of Palestinian terrorism. The report’s publication came in response to yesterday’s release of 429 Palestinians jailed in Israeli prisons. According to the report, 6,912 militants were released between the years 1993 and 1999, and nearly 80 percent of them returned to terrorist activity. ’I am happy, but my six brothers remain in prison’ Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 12/5/2007 RAMALLAH - The yellow metal gate opens and the first two buses, loaded with Palestinians who had just been released, cross into Palestinian territory at the Bitunia crossing. A mob rushes the buses, climbing on to the windows, sitting on the roof, hanging on to anything they can find, singing, chanting. Some of the youngsters fire off flares and wave Palestinian and PLO flags. The earlier statements by jailed Tanzim leader, Marwan Barghouti, that the release of only 430 prisoners was a meaningless gesture, turned out to be empty rhetoric in light of the joy surrounding the event. Naji Abu Hamayd stands on the roadside. His brother, Bassal, is due to be released, but he is not in the first bus transporting Palestinians from Israeli prisons. Abu Hamayd is nervous and stressed, busy chain-smoking. Five indicted in plot to smuggle cocaine to Israel from Ecuador Ofra Edelman, Haaretz Correspondents, Ha’aretz 12/4/2007 A Tel Aviv court on Monday indicted five people, including a 25-year-old English teacher and a minor, accused of smuggling cocaine to Israel from Ecuador. The indictment alleges that Liran Kolosh, currently incarcerated in an Israeli prison, took out advertisements in two newspapers listing job opportunities abroad. Two other individuals named in the indictment allegedly answered the ad and were told by Kolosh that the job involved trafficking illegal prescription medicine to Israel. One of the two volunteered to carry the cocaine, estimated to be slightly less than a kilo, on her body for payment of $5000. The minor allegedly volunteered to escort her back to Israel through the smuggling process for $2000. According to the indictment, the underage defendant transferred airline ticket money to the woman planning on carrying the drugs on her body. Israel releases 429 Palestinian prisoners in gesture to Abbas Shahar Ilan and Jonathan Lis Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies, Ha’aretz 12/4/2007 Israel on Monday released 429 Palestinian prisoners, in a gesture meant to strengthen Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after both sides decided at last week’s U.S. -sponsored Mideast conference to try to reach a peace deal by the end of 2008. At 11 A. M. , all 21 Gaza prisoners had crossed into the coastal territory through the Erez crossing. A welcome reception was held for the West Bank prisoners in Ramallah, at Abbas’ headquarters. The prisoners, most of them from President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, were given a joyous welcome as they arrived at checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza. Cars honked horns, tearful relatives raised Fatah flags and pictures of Abbas and some carried prisoners on their shoulders. "There’s nothing better than freedom," said Salem al-Saqqa, about 30, after he reached Gaza and kissed his mother. Sudan: Jailed British teacher released Associated Press, YNetNews 12/3/2007 British teacher Gillian Gibbons, who was jailed after allowing pupils in her class to call a teddy bear Muhammad, pardoned by president, released from prison Monday - - A British teacher jailed after she allowed her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad was released Monday hours after Sudan’s president pardoned her, a British embassy spokesman said. Spokesman Omar Daair said Gillian Gibbons was in "British embassy custody," but he would not give her exact location or say when she would leave Sudan, citing security reasons. Earlier Monday, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir pardoned Gibbons after two British Muslim politicians from the House of Lords met with him to plea for her release. The pardon put an end to a case that has outraged Britons and Muslims around the world. In a statement released after her pardon, Gibbons said she did not intend to offend anyone and stressed that she had great respect for Islam. Israel releases 429 Palestinian security prisoners Raanan Ben-Zur, YNetNews 12/3/2007 Hundreds of prisoners jailed in Israel freed Monday as goodwill gesture to Palestinian Authority President Abbas; prisoners taken to Bitunia checkpoint near Ramallah, Erez crossing near Gaza, handed over to PA forces - - After a series of delays, Israel finally released Monday 429 Palestinian security prisoners jailed in Israel as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas following the Annapolis peace conference. At about 7 am Monday, the first three buses, carrying over 140 prisoners, left the Ketziot prison in the Negev and made their way to the Bitunia checkpoint near Ramallah, where the prisoners were handed over to the PA security forces. At 8:30 am, another 150 prisoners were freed, including 20 Gaza residents who were taken to the Erez crossing near the Strip. Israel frees 429 Palestinian prisoners Middle East Online 10/11/2007 Israel freed 429 Palestinian prisoners on Monday, the latest release aimed at boosting president Mahmud Abbas amid Middle East peace efforts revived at a US conference. Hundreds of singing and dancing well-wishers waving Palestinian flags greeted the first buses filled with the smiling ex-detainees as they pulled up at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Grinning and flashing victory signs, the detainees began to leave the Ketziot prison in Israel’s southern Negev desert in buses as dawn broke. Out of the 429 prisoners to be released, 409 were to return to their homes in the occupied West Bank with the remaining 20 going to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. The release was the third aimed at strengthening Abbas in his standoff with Hamas since the Islamist movement seized the Gaza Strip in mid-June. Israel releases 429 Palestinian prisoners Ma’an News Agency 12/3/2007 Bethlehem Gaza Ma’an Israel released 429 Palestinian prisoners on Monday as a part of a delayed "goodwill gesture" originally scheduled to take place before the Noveber 27 Annapolis conference. After crossing Beituniya checkpoint near Ramallah, 408 West Bank prisoners were greated by throngs of Palestinians, including government officials at President Mahmoud Abbas’ compound, the Muqata, which is also the headquarters of the Palestinian security forces. Just 21 prisoners crossed into the Gaza Strip through Erez checkpoint. One prisoner from the town of Beit Hanoun, had just two months to go in a 17-month sentence. One prisoner returned home to the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, three to Rafah, and five to Khan Younis. One of the Khan Younis prisoners had nine years still to go in his sentence. Palestinian prisoner sentenced to 125 years for killing Israeli official Mayssa Abu Ghazalaeh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 12/3/2007 The Palestinian political detainee Hamdi Qur’an was sentenced by the Israeli central court in Jerusalem on Monday. He was handed down a life sentence and 100 additional years in prison. Qur’an was accused of killing the right wing Israeli tourism minister Rahba’am Zaivi. Zaivi was killed in 2001 by the Palestinian faction; the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian. The Israeli official had been known for his radical views, among them publicly calling for Palestinians to be forced off their lands. Qur’ans’ lawyer, Imeel Mashriki told IMEMC that the court had accused Qur’an of the murder of Za’izi and five additional charges. Qur’an was arrested by Palestinian police along with three other PFLP members in 2002, following the Israeli forces attack on the late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat’s’ compound, in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, where he was being held. Israeli government release 430 Palestinian political prisoners Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 12/3/2007 The Israeli government released 430 Palestinian political detainees at midday on Monday, according to Palestinian sources in the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Of those released, 21 are from the Gaza strip and 409 are from various parts of the West Bank. Palestinian sources confirmed today that all those freed are members of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement. In a phone call with IMEMC, sources at the Palestinian presidents’ headquarters stated that the prisoners had arrived at the compound where they are being welcomed by Palestinian officials and family members. They will be then transported by busses to their home cities. At the Ertz crossing located on the Israeli-Gazan border, thousands of people have gathered since Monday morning to welcome the 21 released prisoners. The Israeli government had decided to release the prisoners as part of a good will... Israeli army kidnaps 15 in Hebron during large-scale military operation Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 12/3/2007 Israeli military forces kidnapped at least 15 Palestinians during a large-scale military operation in different areas of the Hebron district in the southern West Bank. The Prisoner Society in Hebron reported that the military invaded the city of Hebron, Sureef and Tafouh town and the al Aroub and al Fuwar refugee camps. During the operation, several homes were invaded and locals were attacked. Residents were forcibly detained outside while there homes were ransacked. The Israeli military also abducted several Palestinians including Ahmad Rafay’ah, Nader Maswada and Najeh Abu Sneina. All were moved to an unknown detention center. The Prisoner center condemned the operation and saw it as part of an increased Israeli military operation in the West Bank which has led to 42 Palestinians being put in prison in recent days. Ze’evi’s killer gets life plus 100 years Ofra Edelman, Ha’aretz 12/4/2007 The killer of minister Rehavam Ze’evi was sentenced yesterday to life imprisonment for the murder. He was also sentenced by the Jerusalem District Court to 100 more years for five other convictions, including attempted murder and attempts to carry out terrorist attacks. Explaining their decision in the sentencing of Hamdi Kura’an, the judges wrote that "the murder of a minister is not just the murder of an individual, but a blow to the symbols of the state and a blow to its sovereignty." Ze’evi was murdered on October 17, 2001, at the Hayat Hotel in Jerusalem, while serving as tourism minister. Kura’an, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other suspects fled to the Palestinian Authority and was held in the custody of international monitors, in the Jericho prison. In March 2006, the international monitoring structure collapsed and Israel... News in Brief II Ha’aretz 12/4/2007 The National Labor Court is scheduled to decide this morning whether to issue striking secondary school teachers with back-to-work orders after it receives a response from the teachers to the government’s statement to the court, submitted on Sunday. In it, the state provided clarifications as to its willingness to grant teachers a pay hike to compensate them for wage erosion. (Or Kashti) Palestinian militants, freed in past prisoner releases by Israel, were responsible for at least 30 terror attacks which claimed the lives of 177 Israelis, according to a study published yesterday by Almagor, an organization representing the victims of Palestinian terrorism. The report’s publication came in response to yesterday’s release of 429 Palestinians jailed in Israeli prisons. According to the report, 6,912 militants were released between the years 1993 and 1999, and nearly 80 percent of them returned to terrorist activity. ’I am happy, but my six brothers remain in prison’ Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 12/3/2007 RAMALLAH - The yellow metal gate opens and the first two buses, loaded with Palestinians who had just been released, cross into Palestinian territory at the Bitunia crossing. A mob rushes the buses, climbing on to the windows, sitting on the roof, hanging on to anything they can find, singing, chanting. Some of the youngsters fire off flares and wave Palestinian and PLO flags. The earlier statements by jailed Tanzim leader, Marwan Barghouti, that the release of only 430 prisoners was a meaningless gesture, turned out to be empty rhetoric in light of the joy surrounding the event. Naji Abu Hamayd stands on the roadside. His brother, Bassal, is due to be released, but he is not in the first bus transporting Palestinians from Israeli prisons. Abu Hamayd is nervous and stressed, busy chain-smoking. "Three packs a day," he tells Haaretz. News / Palestinians celebrate release of 429 prisoners Haaretz Staff and Channel 10, Ha’aretz 12/3/2007 In this edition: Palestinians celebrate in Ramallah as Israel releases 429 prisoners. The Palestinian assassin of former minister Ze’evi is sentenced to two life terms and an additional 100 years in prison. The Palestinian death toll in clashes with the IDF rises to 25 over the course of a week. PM Olmert defends the government’s handling of the home front during the Second Lebanon War. Related articles: Rehavam Ze’evi assassin jailed for two life terms plus 100 years Israel releases 429 Palestinian prisoners in gesture to Abbas PM: Ability to implement all home front improvements is limited For more video news and features, visit Haaretz. com TV Five indicted in plot to smuggle cocaine to Israel from Ecuador Ofra Edelman, Haaretz Correspondents, Ha’aretz 12/3/2007 A Tel Aviv court on Monday indicted five people, including a 25-year-old English teacher and a minor, accused of smuggling cocaine to Israel from Ecuador. The indictment alleges that Liran Kolosh, currently incarcerated in an Israeli prison, took out advertisements in two newspapers listing job opportunities abroad. Two other individuals named in the indictment allegedly answered the ad and were told by Kolosh that the job involved trafficking illegal prescription medicine to Israel. One of the two volunteered to carry the cocaine, estimated to be slightly less than a kilo, on her body for payment of $5000. The minor allegedly volunteered to escort her back to Israel through the smuggling process for $2000. According to the indictment, the underage defendant transferred airline ticket money to the woman planning on carrying the drugs on her body. Rehavam Ze’evi assassin jailed for two life terms plus 100 years Ofra Edelman, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 12/4/2007 The Jerusalem District Court on Monday sentenced the Palestinian assassin of former minister Rehavam Ze’evi to two life terms and an additional 100 years for bombing and shooting attacks against other Israelis. Hamdi Qur’an was convicted of the 2001 murder and other terror activities. He was taken into Israeli custody in 2006, after international monitors left the Jericho Prison, where he had been held. Qur’an, a gunman from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian, confessed during his trial that he pulled the trigger of the gun that killed Ze’evi. "The murder of a minister is not just the murder of a person, but also a blow to a symbol of the state and its sovereignty. All of [Qur’an’s] activities were carried out purposefully and with the intention of causing the most possible damage to residents of the state," the court wrote in its sentencing decision. Israel releases 429 Palestinian prisoners in gesture to Abbas Shahar Ilan and Jonathan Lis Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies, Ha’aretz 12/4/2007 Israel on Monday released 429 Palestinian prisoners, in a gesture meant to strengthen Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after both sides decided at last week’s U.S. -sponsored Mideast conference to try to reach a peace deal by the end of 2008. At 11 A. M. , all 21 Gaza prisoners had crossed into the coastal territory through the Erez crossing. A welcome reception was held for the West Bank prisoners in Ramallah, at Abbas’ headquarters. The prisoners, most of them from President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, were given a joyous welcome as they arrived at checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza. Cars honked horns, tearful relatives raised Fatah flags and pictures of Abbas and some carried prisoners on their shoulders. "There’s nothing better than freedom," said Salem al-Saqqa, about 30, after he reached Gaza and kissed his mother. Israeli minister’s killer jailed BBC Online 12/3/2007 A court in Israel has jailed a Palestinian for life for the killing of the ultra-nationalist Israeli cabinet minister, Rehavam Zeevi, in 2001. Hamdi Quran, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine,shot Mr Zeevi at a Jerusalem hotel. Quran was serving a sentence for the crime in a Palestinian jail in Jericho but Western overseers left the prison last year, citing security concerns. The Israeli army then stormed the jail and handed him to an Israeli court. In addition to the Zeevi sentence, Quran was given 100 years for shootings and bombings against Israelis. "The murder of a minister is not just the murder of a person, but also a blow to a symbol of the state and its sovereignty," the Jerusalem court wrote in its decision. "All of [Quran’s] activities were carried out purposefully and with the intention of causing the most possible damage to residents of the state. Joy as 429 Palestinians released BBC Online 12/3/2007 There have been scenes of joy in the West Bank following the release of 429 Palestinian prisoners from detention inside Israel. The vast majority of the freed men were sent to the West Bank and are supporters of the Fatah group led by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli officials say the move is to boost Mr Abbas in his struggle with the Hamas movement, which controls Gaza. There are an estimated 10,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Many have been held for years without charge or trial. Hundreds of cheering relatives waving Palestinian flags welcomed the first buses of former prisoners as they arrived at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah, in the West Bank. Delayed release More than 700 prisoners have been set free since July. Today’s release of Palestinian prisoners is aimed at reinforcing moderate... Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike Friday Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2007 Bethlehem Ma’an A group of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails decided to go on hunger strike on Friday marking the 40 days that have passed since the killing of inmate Muhammad Al-Ashqar by Israeli wardens in Ketziot prison. In a statement the prisoners said they are also protesting the Israeli prison services reluctance to improve living conditions in the prisons. In October, Israeli prison guards attacked sleeping inmates in their tents at the Ketziot prison compound, killing Al-Ashqar and wounding up to 200. Approximately 11,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons. [end] Palestinian detainees declare a one day hunger strike Najeeb Farraj - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/30/2007 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention centers carried out a one day hunger strike on Friday. The strike was in commemoration of the killing of Mohammad al Ashqar following an Israeli army attack on Palestinian prisoners in the Negev dentition facility last month. One prisoner was killed and 250 were injured in the incident. Issa Qaraqe’, head of the prisoners’ committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council confirmed that the strike took place in all Israeli detention centers and prisons in which 11,000 Palestinians are jailed. Reports that were leaked from inside the prisons confirmed the horrific conditions in which the Palestinian detainees live. Problems include a severe shortage of basic needs as well as physical punishment, confinement and body searching There was also a financial crisis when the Israeli prison authorities denied the prisoners access to money for over six months. Prisons Service: No more space to absorb Sudanese refugees Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondent, Ha’aretz 12/1/2007 The Israel Prison Service warned Friday that it would be unable to accomodate the growing number of detained Sudanese refugees, since facilities designated specifically for their absorption are nearly filled to capacity. Prison officials said that, at the current influx rate of refugees entering Israel, all available space would be filled by next week. The statement comes on the heels of an incident early Thursday in which the Israel Defense Forces deserted a group of 15 Sudanese refugees on the Be’er Sheva-Dimona Highway. The army had been transporting the refugees to Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva for medical treatment. The refugees were then spotted by a family in Ar’ara, and four of them - all men without families - found work in the Arad area. Three refugee families were taken to Eilat.  Articles
Reconciliation begins in prison Akiva Eldar, Ha’aretz 12/29/2007 "I came here today to extend a hand in peace to the Palestinian people and to our neighboring Arab states," the prime minister declared at the start of his speech at Annapolis on November 27. "I have no doubt that the reality created in our region in 1967 will change significantly," Ehud Olmert promised. He knows that "it will be as hard as Hell for some of those among us," but assured his listeners that "we are ready for it." These lofty words were translated this week into a petty argument over the issue of the price of Gilad Shalit’s release. Instead of discussing the place of the prisoners in the peace process that is being renewed (really?), policy makers instead busied themselves with the blood on the hands of those in jail and the exchange rate for the deal. Clearing out the Jails Akiva Eldar, MIFTAH 12/25/2007 For many years, and especially as head of the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria, Brigadier General Ilan Paz earned a living hunting down and jailing Palestinians. He has spent this last year, however, with two released prisoners: Fatah leaders Hisham Abd al-Razeq, Fatah’s former minister of prisoner affairs, and Ibrahim Salameh, a former adviser to the Palestinian interior minister. This July, the group, which includes two other retired Israeli security officials, released their own "prisoners document," entitled "Gradual Working Plan for the Release of Palestinian Prisoners, as an Incentive for Achieving and Maintaining a Cease-Fire." The plan has 16 sections, which list steps for the gradual release of all prisoners jailed in Israel. It was prepared under the auspices of a well-known Israeli research institute that maintains close ties with the security establishment, and was recently presented to the senior political leadership in Israel and the West Bank, including the Prime Minister’s Bureau and the Muqata in Ramallah. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas "responded favorably" al-Razeq said yesterday; Paz said the Israelis showed interest, too. Salameh says the Hamas leadership in the West Bank also was in on the matter, but "the revolution" in Gaza took them out of the game. The authors hope their work will influence members of the ministers forum led by Haim Ramon, which is discussing softening the terms for releasing security prisoners "with blood on their hands." RIGHTS: "USA vs. Al-Arian" Highlights Real Cost of Indefinite Detentions Ali Gharib, Inter Press Service 12/20/2007 WASHINGTON, Dec 20(IPS) - Twelve-year-old Lama Al-Arian looked up into a camera with a broad smile two years ago and called her father a "political prisoner". But her eyes betray her playfully shy exuberance -- they are wracked by uncertainty about the future of a man who has been in a United States prison for five years this February. South Florida university professor and pro-Palestinian activist Sami Al-Arian’s highly publicised arrest on terror-related charges during the winter of 2003 was hailed as a major step forward in defending the U.S. against terrorism by then attorney-general John Ashcroft. On Feb. 20, 2003, the FBI arrested Al- Arian after indicting him and seven others on 50 charges including some related to terrorism and funding of terrorism. The end of Israel? Hannah Mermelstein, Electronic Intifada 12/19/2007 I am feeling optimistic about Palestine. I know it sounds crazy. How can I use "optimistic" and "Palestine" in the same sentence when conditions on the ground only seem to get worse? Israeli settlements continue to expand on a daily basis, the checkpoints and segregated road system are becoming more and more institutionalized, more than 10,000 Palestinian political prisoners are being held in Israeli jails, Gaza is under heavy attack and the borders are entirely controlled by Israel, preventing people from getting their most basic human needs met. We can never forget these things and the daily suffering of the people, and yet I dare to say that I am optimistic.Why?Ehud Olmert.Let me clarify. Better yet, let’s let him clarify: "The day will come when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights.As soon as that happens, the state of Israel is finished." Confusion Surrounding Annapolis Obligations MIFTAH, MIFTAH 12/8/2007 Covering everything from seemingly positive progress with prisoner release and increased aid to Palestine, to somewhat negative impediments involving the disintegrating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the expansion of Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem, the news this week essentially epitomized and reinforced the peace process between Israel and Palestine as a route where one step forward is followed by two steps back. On Monday December 3, after a sufficient delay, Israel finally released 429 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli government spokesperson, Mark Regev, stated that Todays release of Palestinian prisoners is aimed at reinforcing moderate Palestinian leaders and at favoring political dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians. While recognized as a step in the right direction, the imprisoned Marwan Barghouti declared the release as a joke. The Fatah leader highlighted that there are 11,000 Palestinians still in Israeli jails and that the 429 released were coming to the end of their terms anyway. Annapolis Hypocrisy Hides Occupied Palestine Reality Stephen Lendman, ZNet 12/4/2007 Against the sham backdrop of Annapolis , life in occupied Palestine is a daily struggle to endure and survive what Edward Said once referred to as Israel ’s "refined viciousness." This article addresses one week of it no different than most others. It shows the road to peace isn’t through Annapolis nor can it be achieved without a willing partner or with the legitimate Palestinian government excluded. Talks are futile as long Israel spurns peace, violates international law, attacks Palestinian civilians, seizes their land, destroys their homes, restricts their movements, conducts targeted assassinations, denies them essential services, and holds Gaza under a medieval siege in the world’s largest open-air prison while blaming the victims. Β Unreported is that the West Bank is also under siege that’s been tightened in recent weeks on targeted communities. Meet the Lebanese Press: In the shadow of Annapolis Hicham Safieddine, Electronic Lebanon, 4 December 2007, Electronic Intifada 12/4/2007 Whether to disarm Hizballah, whose flag flies alongside that of Lebanon’s above liberated Khiam prison in southern Lebanon, is a central issue of Lebanon’s political impasse. (Maureen Clare Murphy) It seemingly took a stillborn conference like Annapolis to break the deadlock in the Lebanese presidential crisis. In a surprise move this past week, the March 14 camp nominated Lebanese army chief Michel Suleiman for the presidency. Suleiman had been considered a preferred candidate for the opposition camp. His long-standing support of the resistance against Israel and his amicable relations with Damascus made him agreeable to the opposition camp. But the army’s recent assault on Nahr al-Bared refugee camp endeared him to the Americans as well. Now, he is emerging as the man of consensus. But none of Suleiman’s attributes has changed in the past two months, which raises the question of why did all the parties involved bicker over every constitutional provision and expose the hypocrisy of confessional democracy before they agreed on the name. Many political observers point out that Suleiman’s nomination was not the result of an awakening of the Lebanese politicians, but a reflection of a regional developments, including the apparent rapprochement between Syria and the US. One in a Shroud, One on Crutches Gideon Levy, MIFTAH 12/3/2007 The prisoners went to sleep after the evening roll call. At 2 A.M. they woke in a panic when hundreds of armed warders from the Masada and Nahshon units of the Israel Prisons Service (IPS) raided their tents. Quickly the scene turned into a battlefield. The warders fired at the inmates with a variety of weapons; the inmates fought back by throwing vegetables and other random objects. According to affidavits submitted by a number of prisoners to the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, the warders were extremely brutal. They shot inmates and beat them with truncheons even when they lay bound on the floor, and forced more than 400 prisoners into a small visitors’ room. The result: one prisoner killed by ammunition of unknown type - though the testimonies indicate that he was shot in the head at close range - and a large number of prisoners wounded. The fatality was Mohammed Ashkar, who was 29 at the time of his death. A few months ago, we visited his home in the village of Saida, shortly after his older brother, Lo’ai, was released from the same prison, Ketziot. Lo’ai is half paralyzed as a result of torture he underwent at the hands of the Shin Bet security service. In his living room we saw a fine drawing of a prisoner burying his head between his legs, done by his brother, Mohammed. Now Mohammed is dead. In their parents’ home, which is across the road from the cemetery, they are now mourning for the dead Mohammed and the crippled Lo’ai. This is the "prisoner release" of the Ashkar family: one in a shroud, the other on crutches. 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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