Israel: Stop judicial 'bullying' of Palestinian activists
Amnesty International 4 July -- Amnesty International has accused the Israeli authorities of bullying and judicial harassment of Nariman Tamimi, a Palestinian rights activist who was placed under partial house arrest today to prevent her taking part in peaceful protests while she awaits trial next week. "This is an unrelenting campaign of harassment, the latest in a litany of human rights violations against Nariman Tamimi, her family, and her fellow villagers. These arbitrary restrictions should be lifted immediately and the charges should be dropped," said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International. Tamimi was arrested along with another activist Rana Hamadi on Friday 28 June, when villagers of Nabi Saleh walked towards a nearby spring in protest against the loss of their land. In 2009 Israeli settlers occupied the Al-Qaws spring near Nabi Saleh village where Tamimi lives. The illegal settlement now enjoys the protection of the military.
Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid / Restriction of movement
EU contributes €2.4M for preservation of Palestinian heritage in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM, July 3, 2013 (WAFA) – The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) signed on Tuesday a €2.4 million agreement with Al-Quds University aimed at the preservation of Palestinian cultural heritage in Jerusalem’s Old City, an EU press release said. The agreement was signed in the presence of Michael Köhler, director for Neighborhood at the European Commission's DG DEVCO, and UNDP’s Special Representative Frode Mauring. The ceremony also included the signing of a cooperation agreement between UNDP and Al Quds University Center to conduct historical research and organize workshops in relation to the targeted historical sites. "The program will contribute to the development and protection of Palestinian cultural heritage in the old city of Jerusalem, in addition to the improvement of socioeconomic conditions of its citizens through quality housing and tourism services," said the press release. The program activities will include the rehabilitation and revitalization of Hammam al-Ayn and Hammam al-Shifa, al-Madrasa al-Kilaniyya and related housing units, and the development of a business management plan and training on the maintenance and management of rehabilitated site.
link to english.wafa.ps
50 elements of the Israeli intelligence storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 3 July -- 50 elements of the Israeli intelligence stormed on Wednesday morning the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Mughrabi Gate, under the protection of the occupation police. Media Coordinator of the Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage Mahmoud Abu Atta told Safa news agency that three groups of intelligence elements stormed in the early morning hours the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque and toured and desecrated the musallas (prayer rooms). Meanwhile, 25 settlers stormed the mosque and toured its courtyards, Abu Atta added.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Israeli police raid Jerusalem office of Al-Aqsa group
JERUSALEM, July 3, 2013 (WAFA) – Around 30 members of the Israeli police raided Tuesday the East Jerusalem office of an Islamic organization that works on reviving and protecting al-Aqsa Mosque and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, destroying furniture and seizing all its computers, memory cards and files, a statement by the group said on Wednesday. It condemned the act, which it said will not stop the organization from continuing its work in al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, located in Jerusalem’s Old City. The group has regularly accused the Israeli government of working through Jewish fanatics to take over control of the Muslim site to turn it into a Jewish place.
link to english.wafa.ps
Settlers remove an archaeological wall in the Ibrahimi Mosque
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 3 July -- Jewish settlers, on Wednesday under the protection of the Israeli army, removed a wall inside the corridors of the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil city in the southern occupied West Bank and stole its stones. Taysir Abu Sneineh, the Director General of the Ministry of Endowments in al-Khali, told Quds Press that the cleaners of the Ibrahimi Mosque found yesterday that the settlers, with the support of the Israeli occupation army, removed an ancient wall inside the mosque and took its stones to an unknown destination Abu Sneineh considered that this act represents a blatant assault on the Ibrahimi Mosque and aims to change the mosque's features and Judaize it, under the protection and support of the Israeli government.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Twilight Zone -- A day in Jinba, the tiny Palestinian village about to become a huge IDF training zone
Haaretz 5 July by Alex Levac & Gideon Levy -- Everything seems to be forbidden here; only the water tower of Avigail, the vineyards of Sussia, the cowsheds of the Maon Farm and the home of Mitzpe Yair are apparently permitted -- Two upside-down concrete blocks on the side of the rocky road that descends to the beautiful wadi constitute the landmark. This is where the Israel Defense Forces’ Firing Zone 918 begins, but all it says on the blocks at this particular place is: "Sick of the occupation." At the end of the slope, in the heart of the valley, lies the tiny and beautiful village of Jinba. It looks like something out of the Bible: a collection of several tents, huts, sheep pens and caves that are cut off from the electrical grid and water system, cut off from the 21st century, cut off from any semblance of justice or equality. It is a place whose residents have been suffering for decades under the yoke of the occupation. All around is a green sea of 'legal' and 'illegal' settlements. The High Court of Justice of the occupying state will decide on July 15th whether these people who are stubbornly attached to the land − the approximately 250 inhabitants of Jinba − will be allowed to remain in their village ... Everything is heartbreaking here: the ancient stone fences, the donkeys braying in the desert heat, the sheep and goats huddling in the pen to find a spot of shade, the tiny school built with donations from an Islamic organization in the United States, the dark caves where villagers live, and the white tent of the clinic set up about two weeks ago, thanks to contributions from an Italian charity and the Italian Foreign Ministry.
link to www.haaretz.com
Settlers and Palestinians alike spew sewage in fragile West Bank
Forward 4 July by Nathan Jeffay -- It is a different type of Green Line. On a West Bank hill just six miles south of Jerusalem, a row of olive trees looks far greener than anything else in the landscape. This is not thanks to a clever form of growing technology, but because for hours or days each month the trees have been awash in raw sewage. The fastest growing of all the settlements, Beitar Illit, has expanded quicker than its sewage infrastructure, meaning that the pumping system that carries away its wastewater tends to become overwhelmed every few weeks. At that point, the system releases sewage onto the hillside for several hours — the natural outcome of the settlement’s natural growth. The land below the super-green olive trees, part of the Palestinian village of Nahhalin, has been abandoned for much of the past half-decade since the sewage spills became frequent. "Here, it was always planted with vegetables and also used for recreation," local taxi driver Ahmas Chakarneh recalled. "People brought umbrellas and sat here." This hill and valley aren’t one-offs in the West Bank. As Israel and the Palestinians profess their deep love and historic connection to this land, and as they compete for control, both are using it as disposal ground for their liquid waste -- despite the important aquifers that lie below the ground. A new report has found that some 13% of sewage from settlements flows, untreated, into the environment.
link to forward.com
Settlers bulldoze lands in al-Khalil
WEST BANK (PIC) -- ...Jewish settlers bulldozed, on Friday morning, Palestinian lands in Yatta town al-Khalil southern West Bank. Rateb al Jabour, the coordinator of the "Popular Committee Against the settlement" in the town of Yatta, confirmed that settlers from Susiya settlement built on Palestinian lands have bulldozed this morning land owned by Halees family in Yatta. Around 200 settlers stormed Carmel town [the Palestinian village al-Karmil south of Hebron?] chanting Talmudic hymns under the protection of 50 Israeli soldiers who restricted Palestinian citizens' movement, Jabour added.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Palestinian passports rejected by citizens
The Media Line 5 July -- New Palestinian state status yet to translate into fewer limitations on Palestinian movement -- Becoming a citizen of a country ordinarily comes with a passport. Last year, the United Nations recognized "Palestine" as a non-member state, but many of its citizens say it doesn’t make traveling easier. The Palestinian passport, which was issued in 1995 and was based on the Oslo Accords reached between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, is essentially a travel document and does not stipulate that its owner is a citizen of Palestine. The document's cover reads "the Palestinian Authority," not "Palestine." The PA passport is available to any individual who can present a birth certificate showing he/she was born in Palestine; he/she must also hold a current Palestinian identity card. All Palestinians residing in the areas under PA rule are entitled to a Palestinian Authority passport. However, those Palestinians living in east Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in 1967, can only hold a laissez-passer, the travel document issued to them by Israel. If they wish to travel to Arab countries that don't recognize Israel, they usually apply for a temporary Jordanian passport. Some Palestinians simply use a Jordanian passport for all of their travel.
link to www.ynetnews.com
Israel to open Hebron road after 12-year closure
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 4 July -- Israel on Wednesday said it would reopen the Sadit al-Harayiq road in the southern West Bank district of Hebron after a 12-year closure, a Palestinian Authority liaison official said. Imad al-Natsheh said Israel would reopen the road on the first day of Ramadan, the holy Muslim month of fasting, which is due to begin on 9 July. The road, which is located near the Beit Hagai settlement, links Hebron City and the villages of al-Samu‘, al-Dhahiriya, and Dura. The PA official said they had repeatedly asked Israel to open the road and al-Shuhada Street in Hebron's Old City -- a segregated street that Palestinians are not allowed access to, in favor of Israeli settlers in the area. Al-Natsheh said the PA liaison office had also urged Israeli authorities to allow commercial stores in the Old City to reopen, which have all been forced to close in the wake of the Old City's segregation.
There remain several Palestinian areas in the Hebron district still under closure, including the entrances to the Qalqas and Qadi al-Gharous villages, al-Natsheh said, calling for their reopening.
Meanwhile, Israel's Civil Administration allowed a Palestinian to continue building his home in the Rass neighborhood near the Kiryat Arba settlement in the Hebron district, he said. Bassam al-Jabari's construction was stopped by Israeli authorities due to its proximity to the religious Zionist settlement, which was Israel's first illegal settlement in the West Bank following the 1967 war.
link to www.maannews.net
Violence / Raids / Attacks / Clashes / Illegal arrests
Fatah: Israel targeting affiliates after 2 detained in Nablus
Nablus (Ma‘an) 4 July -- Israeli forces detained two Palestinians from two villages in the northern West Bank district of Nablus on Thursday, during a military operation that Fatah says was aimed at its affiliates. Several homes were raided in the Talfit and Awarta villages in the presence of a large military force, a Fatah spokesman in Talfit told Ma‘an. Fatah members Abdullah Hajj Mohammad, 28, and Murad Khalid al-Qadi, 22, were detained in the operation in Talfit and Awarta respectively. The spokesman said the army was searching for weapons and said Israeli forces had "threatened to burn down the village" if the arms were not handed over...
The Israeli army has recently increased military operations in the northern West Bank, detaining several Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Brigade members in breach of an agreement signed with the PA in 2007, exempting fighters from arrest in return for renouncing violence and the giving up of arms. Fatah officials say the raids have been carried out purportedly to search for weapons that were not handed over in the deal but deny that any arms have been kept.
link to www.maannews.net
Settlers lead the Israeli army into a night attack in Jinba, beating children aged 4 to 16
Jinba, Occupied Palestine (ISM) 5 July by Khalil Team -- On Wednesday night, the Israeli army carried out a lengthy and violent invasion of the village of Jinba, in Masafer Yatta, south of the West Bank. The army was reported to have been led by two Israeli settlers from the illegal outpost of Mizpe Yair. The army raided and ransacked twenty houses in Jinba, beating several young men in the process. People were woken up by stun grenades, which in one case the occupation forces threw directly into a house. Another stun grenade was thrown directly at a person, who was sleeping outdoors. The Israeli army proceeded to break doors and raid Palestinian homes. During these raids, five people were beaten by soldiers, including a 4-year-old named Ibrahim Jabarin. Ibrahim was hit by the soldiers in the face as he walked in front of them when they entered his home. The others were Thaar Khaled Jabarin, 16, Ahseen Nabil Jabarin, 12, Odi Jabarin, 21 and Sophian Raba’e, 15. Odi Jabarin was woken up by the soldiers beating him with their guns. He suffered several blows across his body, and severe injuries on his left leg ... The raid was carried out over settler claim for a sheep The two settlers accompanying the soldiers in Jinba yesterday claimed that the Palestinians had stolen one of their sheep. In fact they tried, with the cover of the army, to steal away one of the rams belonging to a Palestinian farmer; however they were stopped by the villagers. The ram in question purportedly worth 1600 dollars and is used for breeding purposes. This would have been a significant loss of property for the farmer, given that people in Jinba depend on animal husbandry for survival.
link to palsolidarity.org
Occupation arrests Palestinian lecturer Fadi Asida
RAMALLAH (PIC) 5 July -- Israeli forces arrested on the Karama bridge lecturer at Al-Najah University Dr. Fadi Asida, aged 33, from the town of Tel in Nablus, as he returned from Malaysia after obtaining a PhD in Arabic language. Fouad Khuffash, director of Ahrar Center for Prisoners' Studies and Human Rights, said that Dr. Fadi, who left the country in July 2009 has recently obtained the doctorate degree in Arabic language from the University of Malaysia, and that as he decided to return to serve his country he was arrested by the occupation and moved to Petah Tikva interrogation center. Khuffash stated that Israel has been imposing an intellectual siege on the Palestinians through the ongoing arrests of academics and lecturers. The occupation holds in its jails six Palestinian academics.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Israel detains 11 in overnight raids
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 3 July -- Israeli forces detained 11 Palestinians overnight Tuesday, Israel's army and locals said. Witnesses told Ma'an that Israeli forces raided al-Arrub refugee camp north of Hebron and arrested Muatazz Nafiz Kawamleh, 22, his brother Fayiz, 16, Musab Abdul-Basit Abu Rayya, 21, and Zakariyya Nabil al-Qeeq, 16. An Israeli army spokeswoman said that three people were arrested in al-Arrub, seven in Ein Yabrud, northeast of Ramallah, and one person in al-Mughayyir.
link to www.maannews.net
Soldiers kidnap 19 Palestinians in West Bank
IMEMC 4 July -- Soldiers kidnapped Hasan Breijiyya, coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall In Bethlehem. as they attacked a nonviolent protest against a visit of the Israeli Transportation Minister to the southern entrance of the town as part of plans for a settler road.
Local sources in the Al-Jalazoun refugee camp, east of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, have reported that the army invaded the camp, broke into and searched several homes, causing damage, and kidnapped three residents ...
Soldiers also invaded Bodrus village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and kidnapped eight Palestinians ...
Furthermore, several Israeli military jeeps invaded the village of Ya‘bod, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and kidnapped Majdi Ghazi Harzallah, 23, Ezzeddeen Farouq Harzallah, 20, and Mohammad Tawfiq Abu Baker.
Dozens of soldiers also invaded the Al-Khader town, near Bethlehem, and kidnapped one resident identified as Yousef Aref Salah, 24. Soldiers also invaded the home of Kamel Harzallah and violently searched it. Clashes have been reported between local youths and Israeli soldiers after the army violently searched the homes of the kidnapped Palestinians. Soldiers fired gas bombs and concussion grenades; several residents have been treated for the effects of teargas inhalation.
In Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank, the army kidnapped one Palestinian identified as Wael Ahmad At-Tabouq, 20, after violently breaking into a home and searching it causing property damage. The soldiers claimed to be looking for weapons; no weapons were found.
Dozens of soldiers also invaded Tal village, west of Nablus, and kidnapped one resident identified as Sameh Zeidan.
In related news, soldiers invaded Al-Yamoun town, west of Jenin and broke into the home of former political prisoner, Imad Najeeb Sammoudy, searched the property and interrogated him. [The Israeli army said 24 Palestinians were detained, according to Ma‘an]
link to www.imemc.org
Israeli forces detain 7 in West Bank
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 5 July -- Israeli forces detained seven Palestinians in raids across the West Bank before dawn Friday, the army said. Forces detained Palestinians in Aba, Burqa, Jalazoun, Beit Awwa, Bethlehem and al-Shawawra, a military spokesman told Ma‘an. He said they were taken for security questioning. In al-Shawawra, soldiers detained Mohammad al-Matlub after ransacking his home, his brother Naem Matlub told Ma‘an.
link to www.maannews.net
Weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (27 June-3 July)
PCHR 4 July -- 1 Palestinian civilian was killed and 5 others were wounded during incursions in the West Bank. Israeli forces have continued to use excessive force against peaceful protestors in the West Bank. 3 protestors were wounded during peaceful protests against the annexation wall and settlement activities. Israeli forces conducted 65 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 2 limited ones into the Gaza Strip. 64 Palestinian civilians were arrested in the West Bank, including a Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and 6 children....
link to www.pchrgaza.org
Blockaded Gaza
Hamas lies low on Egypt crisis
Al-Monitor 3 July by Hazem Balousha -- ...Hamas’s leadership and members, as well as the Palestinian public, have been keeping a close eye on the accelerating events in Egypt, as they have a great impact on the Palestinian cause. Nevertheless, the leaders of the Islamic movement and its affiliated media outlets have remained calm, waiting for the possible outcome of the Egyptian crisis. According to an informed source that spoke to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity, Hamas has issued a clear statement to all its leadership and members not to talk about the details of what is happening in Egypt, limiting their statements to "express their sympathy and hope that Egypt might emerge peacefully from this current crisis, as the movement does not want to interfere in Arab domestic affairs, and so the Egyptian opposition does not use the movement’s stances and statements to their advantage."
link to www.al-monitor.com
Warning of humanitarian catastrophe as Egypt tightens siege of Gaza
Electronic Intifada 5 July by Ali Abunimah -- An Egyptian general has said that President Muhammad Morsi, who was overthrown by the army on Wednesday, may be charged by the military with "collaborating" with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, urgent action is needed to avoid a looming humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, a human rights group warned today, as the political crisis in neighboring Egypt deepens. Closing Rafah, blaming Palestinians for Egypt’s problems: Earlier today, Egyptian authorities shut down the Rafah crossing, the only route to the outside world for the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza. The closure came after reported attacks on several Egyptian army checkpoints and posts in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula. Egyptian authorities and media have routinely blamed such attacks on Palestinians or on Hamas, without any evidence, and Egypt has habitually imposed collective punishments by closing Rafah.
link to electronicintifada.net
Gaza health sector hard hit by Egypt's security clampdown
Gaza (Press TV) 4 July by Hala Alsafadi -- Gaza is in the midst of a fuel shortage, with blackouts lasting up to 10 hours ... As a result of the tight Egyptian restrictions along the borders with Gaza, different sectors are expecting a severe crisis, especially the health sector ... According to the Ministry of Health, more than 70 ambulances will run out of fuel if the crisis continues. Hear: while hospitals are relying on generators during the electricity cuts, the amounts of fuel available are expected to be exhausted within the next few days putting lives of many patients at risk. The Ministry of Health in Gaza calls on the international organizations including the Red Cross to interfere, so that the health sector can continue to serve the 1.7 million Gazans.
link to www.presstv.ir
Egypt unrest slows down Gaza construction
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 4 July -- Unrest in Egypt has slowed down construction in the Gaza Strip, which relies on building materials smuggled in through cross-border tunnels, a union official said Thursday. Israel only allows construction material into Gaza through its border for internationally funded and approved projects, and this is the only building material available in Gaza since the tunnel trade slowed down, said Nabil Abu Meiliq, head of the union of Palestinian contractors. Abu Meiliq says no construction material is coming into Gaza from Egypt. Construction is down to 20 percent since tunnel traffic halted, ending a brief building boom in Gaza, Abu Meiliq told Ma‘an. Several projects funded by the Qatari government are on hold, including the Sheikh Hamad city, due to shortages of materials including cement, Abu Meiliq added.
link to www.maannews.net
Nilesat stops broadcasting Quds TV channel
BEIRUT (PIC) 5 July -- Nilesat operators have shut down Quds TV Channel [a Hamas channel], broadcasting from Lebanon. Quds TV Channel confirmed in breaking news that it was subjected to disruption on the Nilesat, calling to follow it on Arabsat frequency 12207V. Quds TV started covering since yesterday the huge marches in support of the Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in Raba'a al Adawiya Square. Following the Egyptian Army's statement, the Egyptian authorities have shut down several Islamist-run TV stations including one operated by the Muslim Brotherhood.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Israeli military infiltrate Gaza borders
GAZA, July 3, 2013 (WAFA) - Israeli forces Wednesday infiltrated Gaza borders and went nearly 300 meters into the eastern part of al-Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza Strip, according to witnesses. They told WAFA that three Israeli tanks and two army bulldozers raided and razed tens of dunums of agricultural land while shooting in all directions.
link to english.wafa.ps
Occupation claims one of its gunboats came under fire in Gaza waters
GAZA (PIC) 4 July -- An Israeli occupation gunboat came under fire off the Gaza coast on Thursday morning according to occupation sources. The Hebrew radio stated that the Israeli gunboat was attacked off the coast of Gaza. No injuries or damage was reported. The Israeli occupation sources pointed out that the Israeli authorities opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Committee acquits Hamas officers of Jihad death
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 3 July -- An inquiry committee tasked to investigate the death of a member of Islamic Jihad during a shootout with Hamas police on Tuesday acquitted the officers of any wrongdoing. Hamas' interior ministry commissioned the inquiry last week following the death of Raed Qassim Jundeyeih, a member of Islamic Jihad's militant wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, who died after being shot by Hamas police officers. The inquiry concluded that there was shooting from both police officers and Jundeyeih, and that police were firing warning shots and did not intend to kill or injure him. It is likely that Jundeyeih was killed by a stray bullet, the report said.
link to www.maannews.net
Hamas minister denies West Bank terror activity
Times of Israel 3 July by Elhanan Miller -- Hamas’s minister of interior denied on Wednesday that his organization was planning to abduct Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, and claimed reports to that effect were merely an Israeli attempt to deter the Islamist group from executing collaborators in Gaza. Israel has accused minister Fathi Hammad of involvement in establishing Hamas cells in the West Bank, filing a complaint in late June with the Egyptian government which oversees the implementation of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas following November’s Operation Pillar of Defense. The Israeli daily Maariv reported last week that during a Shin Bet interrogation of Hamas activists in the West Bank, Hammad’s name emerged as the official who instructed them to kidnap Israeli soldiers.
link to www.timesofisrael.com
Israel urged to lift crippling restrictions imposed on Gaza
RTT News 3 July -- A senior United Nations humanitarian official on Wednesday urged the Israeli Government to lift restrictions imposed on the free movement of people and goods in the Palestine territory of Gaza Strip. James W. Rawley, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, made the appeal as he met with Palestinian farmers and fishermen whose livelihoods have been ruined by such measures.
link to www.rttnews.com
Gaza suicides rise as living conditions deteriorate
Al-Monitor 3 July by Rasha Abou Jalal -- Since the beginning of 2013, the Gaza Strip has been witnessing a sudden rise in the rate of suicides by various means and methods including hanging, immolation and jumping from high heights — mostly as a result of the difficult living conditions ... Mustafa Ibrahim, a member of the Independent Commission of Human Rights, believes that economic and social reasons drive people to end their lives, especially in light of the difficulty in finding work and the high rates of unemployment and poverty among the Palestinian community in the Gaza Strip .. He added, "As a human rights body, we usually do not document all suicide cases, since the concerned families are hesitant to talk to us." He noted that the shame attached to Palestinian families having lost members as a result of suicide makes talking about this issue a taboo.
link to www.al-monitor.com
24 thousand newborns in Gaza during the first half of the year
GAZA (PIC) 4 July -- Official sources in the Gaza Strip reported that the number of newborns for the first half of the current year amounted to more than 24,000, while the total number of deaths reached 2,051 ... Over the past six months of this year, 132 new babies are born in the Strip each day, the statistics noted.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Detainees / Court actions
Deported West Bank prisoner arrives in Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 4 July – A Palestinian prisoner from the Bethlehem area arrived Thursday in Gaza City via the Erez crossing, after agreeing to a deportation deal with Israel. Iyad Abu Fanoun, 30, from Battir village near Bethlehem, was freed in a deal to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, but Israel detained him again afterwards. He could have faced 20 years of his original sentence in an Israeli jail, lawyers say. The Israeli military prosecution announced on June 20 plans to deport Abu Fanoun to the Gaza Strip, responding to his wishes. Lawyer Ahlam Hadad told Ma‘an that the Israeli prosecution at Ofer told her they had agreed to Iyad’s request to be deported to Gaza for 10 years.
link to www.maannews.net
Palestinian photographer held incommunicado by Israelis
3 July -- Reporters Without Borders calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Mohamed Al-Azza, a Palestinian photographer held incommunicado and without charge in an unknown place of detention by the Israeli authorities for the past three days. Azza, who works for Palestinian News Network and Ma‘an News, was arrested by members of the Israel Defence Forces at his home in Aida refugee camp, 2 km north of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on 30 June. Family members and his lawyer said he was hit several times and sustained injuries at the time of his arrest. Azza was hospitalized after being hit in the face by a rubber-coated bullet fired by an Israeli soldier while covering an IDF incursion into his refugee camp on 8 April. According to the information obtained by Reporters Without Borders, the IDF had been looking for him ever since his release from hospital.
link to en.rsf.org
Shooting the messenger: occupation filmmaker al-Azza is arrested, 3 months after being shot in head
Mondoweiss 5 July by Annie Robbins --Three months ago, Mohammad al-Azza, 23, the filmmaker and photo journalist, was shot in the face by Israel forces. Now he has been arrested during a violent raid on his home Sunday night, reportedly because he was filming Israeli actions against Palestinian children. The fearless journalist is head of the film department at Lajee Center in Aida refugee camp. In April, a rubber-coated steel bullet penetrated his cheek below the right eye and fractured his skull. You can see two of his films here, in an earlier post about Al-Azza's talent.
link to mondoweiss.net
Arrested at Nabi Saleh, Rana Nazzal speaks out for Palestinian political prisoners
Ramallah, Occupied Palestine (ISM) 4 July by Ramallah Team -- On the 28th of June 2013 two Palestinian activists were arrested in the village of Nabi Saleh during the village’s Friday demonstration. Both are currently released on bail and have been charged with entering a close military zone. The prosecutor is asking for house arrest and they are awaiting the judge’s decision. Nariman Tamimi is a prominent activist from the village of Nabi Saleh and Rana Nazzal is a Palestinian Canadian activist. The International Solidarity Movement had a chance to speak to Rana about her experiences during the arrest, the time following imprisonment and the situation for political prisoners in Palestine ... ISM: There are sixteen Palestinian women currently imprisoned by Israel, all of whom are held in Hasharon – how was the encounter with these women prisoners? How did you spend your time in jail? R.N: They didn’t keep us in the same prison ward as the sixteen other women, but we saw them in passing moments. On Saturday, we saw them while the longest term prisoner, Lina Jarboni, was giving Hebrew lessons. Lina told us that Sireen Khudiri, the recent 21 year-old who was arrested on charges of 'internet activism', also gives the women English lessons. On Sunday night Lina cooked the Palestinian stew mloukhieh and sent a huge platter to our room, along with changes of clothes so we could finally change. The women were generous and strong spirited.
link to palsolidarity.org
VIDEO: On location West Bank: smuggling sperm
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Global Post) 4 July by Stephanie Freid -- At least seven women have conceived children using sperm smuggled from Israeli prisons, sometimes in potato chip bags and candy wrappers. [a woman looks at ultrasound images of her her baby; interviews with other prisoners' wives and with Dr. Salem Abu Khaizaran, director of Razan Medical Center.]
link to www.globalpost.com
Prisoner's medical condition deteriorates
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 4 July -- A Palestinian prisoner's health is seriously deteriorating and Israel has transferred from hospital to a prison clinic, a lawyer said Wednesday. Motasem Radad was moved from Meir Hospital to Ramle prison clinic, Palestinian Prisoner Society lawyer Jawad Boulos said. Radad suffers several symptoms including hypertension and a weak immune system. He has several infections which doctors have been unable to treat and and has recently developed blurred vision and a weak heart. Boulos blamed Radad's deteriorating condition on the medication he was given, including daily cortisone shots that the lawyer said had weakened his bones and impeded his movement.
link to www.maannews.net
'My hope is that my children will one day be allowed to visit their father'
PCHR 3 July -- Ghadir Anwar Al-Aqra‘a, a 34 year old mother of four children, Nidaa’ (12), Nisma (15), Ra’ed (10) and Nara (8), lives with her children in the Al Sheikh Redwan neighbourhood of Gaza City. Her husband, Nahed Al-Aqra‘a (42), was arrested on 20 July 2007 by the Israeli military, is incarcerated in Ramle Prison Hospital in central Israel, and since that date has been denied any prison visits by his wife or children. Since being arrested in 2007 none of Nahed’s family members from Gaza have been allowed to visit him. Ghadir explains the situation, "The only person who has been allowed to visit Nahed since 2007 has been his mother. She is forced to see him through a glass window and can only speak to him via an internal phone. She cannot touch or hug her son." The last time that Nahed saw his children was in March 2007. Neither Ghadir nor any of her four children have been allowed to see Nahed since his arrest. The issue has been made all the worse by the fact that Nahed has faced extremely serious medical problems, issues which have been severely exacerbated since his imprisonment in 2007. Ghadir’s husband sustained multiple gunshot injuries to his legs during internal Palestinian clashes relating to the Hamas take-over of the Gaza Strip in 2007 ... Nahed was arrested mere days after his leg was amputated in Jordan. He has since been denied all appropriate medical care for his injuries as well as being kept in conditions completely inappropriate for adequate recovery....
link to www.imemc.org
Racism
Israelis strip-search Arab journalist at US party
JERUSALEM (AP) 4 July -- The U.S.-funded Alhurra network said Thursday that one of its cameramen was interrogated and strip-searched by Israeli security men while covering a July 4 party at the U.S. ambassador's residence near Tel Aviv. The Arab satellite channel had coordinated with the Israeli prime minister's office to cover the event on behalf of the international media. Ambassador Dan Shapiro, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other VIPs were in attendance. But when cameraman Samer Jallad arrived, he said he was detained for questioning, ordered to remove his shoes and sit in the sun for more than half an hour, and then taken to a room where he was forced to remove his pants for a body inspection. He said he was held for more than 90 minutes before he was permitted to enter. It was the latest in a string of incidents in which Israeli security have used heavy-handed tactics against Arab journalists, a practice Israel has defended as necessary for security. Jallad, who said he has covered Netanyahu on many occasions, is a Palestinian from east Jerusalem who holds full Israeli residency rights and has a government-issued press card. The Foreign Press Association, which represents international media in Israel, called on the U.S. Embassy to condemn the incident. "We find it especially shameful that a staffer of a U.S.-funded network would be the victim of racial profiling at an official U.S. event celebrating American Independence Day," the FPA said. "Such treatment goes against the core values of freedom and equality that the U.S. seeks to uphold." The embassy and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had no immediate comment.
link to abcnews.go.com
Activism
Palestinians sue US groups over support for settler attacks
SAN FRANCISCO (Electronic Intifada) 3 July by Charlotte Silver -- A recently filed complaint in a New York district court has the potential to compensate and provide judicial recourse to a handful of Palestinians terrorized by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. The civil suit is filed under a law that until now has been used almost entirely to prosecute Muslim and Palestinian Americans. On 17 May, the New York-based commercial law firm Melito and Adolfsen filed a complaint against five US organizations alleging that they had violated the material support statute, which prohibits individuals from "knowingly providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization." The organizations are alleged to have supported terrorist activities by funding settlers who have firebombed, thrown stones and shot at Palestinians, burned Palestinian land and trees, and vandalized Palestinian houses of prayer in the West Bank.
link to electronicintifada.net
Audio (with transcript]: This Week in Palestine Week 27 2013
IMEMC 5 July -- The Palestinian new prime minister focused this week on the deteriorating economy, and the Israeli army attacks leave one Palestinians killed and five others injured this week. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned. The Nonviolence Report Let’s begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. This week protests were organized in the villages of al Nabi Saleh, Bil‘in, Ni‘lin in central West Bank, in addition Al Ma‘ssara in southern West Bank. IMEMC’s Salam Qumsyia reports:
link to www.imemc.org
Rachel Corrie remembered by family of bulldozed home
Al-Monitor 4 July by Asmaa al-Ghoul -- On March 16, 2013, the tenth anniversary of American peace activist Rachel Corrie’s death was marked by no grand commemoration ceremonies. The Nasrallah family, however, as they do every year, went to where their demolished house once stood to place flowers at the scene of her murder. Even though the neighborhood has changed and the tunnel area at the Egypt and Gaza borders has been completely transformed, the Nasrallahs cannot forget. Al-Monitor met with the Nasrallahs in their small and humble rented house. They shared their memories from that year, as clearly as if it all happened yesterday and not a decade ago.
link to www.al-monitor.com
Political, economic, other news
Abbas: Egypt events will not affect reconciliation
BEIRUT (Ma‘an) 4 July – President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that the situation in Egypt would have little impact on efforts to reconcile Hamas and Fatah. Egyptian leaders have mediated between the two sides for years in an effort to reunite the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, which have remained under rival governments since 2007. Speaking at a news conference in Beirut, Abbas added that despite the Palestinians' opinions about ouster of Egyptian President Mohamad Mursi, the official position will be to remain neutral.
link to www.maannews.net
Perhaps not, but this well might:
Hamas: PA's apparatuses kidnapped 77 citizens in June
PIC 4 July -- The Information Office of Hamas said in a report, which monitors violations of the PA security services in the West Bank, that PA's apparatuses assassinated Haj Saadi al-Sakhl from the city of Nablus, hours after he was kidnapped. It added that 77 supporters and leaders of Hamas; including 44 liberated prisoners and 18 university students, have been kidnapped during the last month by PA's apparatuses. Meanwhile, the security services have summoned 78 Hamas affiliates, and extended the detention of 15 others despite decisions to release them, the report monitored. It also pointed out that the occupation forces arrested 4 leaders and supporters of the movement who had been released from PA's jails.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Abbas to pay 3-day visit to Beirut
BEIRUT (Ma'an) updated 4 July -- President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on Wednesday for a three-day visit to discuss the issue of Palestinian refugees ... Abbas was invited to Lebanon by President Michel Suleiman and will meet with speaker of Lebanon's parliament Nabih Berri and other officials from prominent Lebanese political parties. Abbas is expected to discuss recent sectarian violence in Lebanon related to the ongoing conflict in Syria and the position of Palestinian refugees in the country. The president has urged Palestinian factions not to intervene in internal Lebanese affairs.
link to www.maannews.net
Abbas in rare visit to Lebanon camp
BEIRUT (AFP) 5 July -- Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas paid a rare visit on Friday to a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, placing a wreath at the cemetery in the Shatila camp in the capital Beirut. A small crowd gathered ahead of his brief visit to welcome him at the Martyrs Cemetery on the outskirts of the camp, one of 12 housing Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. "I’m here to welcome him because he’s our president," said Fatma Abdul Hadi, an elderly lady in a white headscarf with a black and white Palestinian s