- 17 dec 2011
Palestinian fisherman wounded by occupation navy
GAZA, (PIC)-- A Palestinian fisherman was wounded on Friday afternoon by bullets fired from an Israeli occupation gunboat while fishing at sea within the three mile limit imposed by occupation.
Spokesman for the emergency services, Adham Abu Selmeyya, told PIC that the 45-year-old fisherman had a bullet wound to each of his feet as a result of Israeli occupation gunboats opening fire at fishing boats in the sea of Gaza.
Abu Selmeyya said that the wounded man was taken to Shifa hospital for treatment and described his wounds as moderate.
Israeli occupation navy targets Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza cost daily in an attempt to deny them earning a living for them and their families.
http://fwd4.me/0iiv
30 oct 2012, 15:20 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:20 , Respect -
Maria 18 dec 2011
Israeli Remnant Explodes in Gaza, Injures Three Palestinians
KHNA YOUNIS, (WAFA) – Three Palestinians from one family Sunday sustained moderate injuries when an explosive remnant of the Israeli army exploded in Khuza’a, a town east of Khan Younis in Gaza, according to local sources.
Witnesses said that a father and his two sons were collecting scraps in the town when the remnant exploded. They were transferred to a local hospital for treatment.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18396
30 oct 2012, 15:20 , Respect -
Maria 18 dec 2011
4 people injured in clashes outside Ofer prison
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Four people were injured on Sunday as Israeli soldiers clashed with Palestinian families outside Ofer prison in the West Bank.
Family members of detainees had gathered outside the prison gates on Sunday afternoon to wait for the release of Palestinian prisoners, a Ma'an correspondent said.
Israeli forces moved to clear the area and fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Young men also began throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers.
Among those injured was Linda Shalash, a reporter with Al-Quds TV. She was transferred to hospital, Ma'an's correspondent said.
The second phase of a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel is due to take place on Sunday evening, with 550 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails to be released.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=446023
30 oct 2012, 15:20 , Respect -
Maria 18 dec 2011
Israel, US: We will stop Iran
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says Tel Aviv and Washington are determined to stop Iran's nuclear program and do not rule out any option to this end.
"Our two countries clearly believe that a nuclear Iran is neither conceivable nor acceptable and we are determined to stop Iran,” Barak told Israel's public radio on Sunday.
He added, "We reiterated the fact that we must not take any option off the table."
The remarks come two days after US President Barack Obama once again said that Washington would take "no options off the table" in its effort to halt Iran's nuclear activities.
“We're going to keep up the pressure, and that's why, rest assured, we will take no options off the table. We're going to keep standing with our Israeli friends and allies,” Obama said during the 71st General Assembly of the Union for Reform Judaism in Washington's Maryland suburbs on Friday.
The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program. Washington and Tel Aviv have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike against its atomic facilities.
Under pressure from Washington and Tel Aviv, the UN Security Council has imposed four rounds of sanctions against Tehran. The United States and the European Union have also adopted unilateral measures against the Islamic Republic in an effort to deter Western investments in Iran's energy sector.
Iran argues that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has every right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
The IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but has never pointed to any evidence indicating that Tehran's civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/216445.html
'Russia to stop any attack on Iran'
Russia will try to stop any military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities as any threat to the Islamic Republic is a problem for Moscow, a Russian military expert tells Press TV.
Vladimir Yevseyev, the director of the Russian Center for Socio-Political Studies, told Press TV on Saturday that “a military attack against Tehran will be a serious problem for Russia, because Caucasus and Central Asia are strategic regions for Russia.”
He also described the downing of a US spy drone by Iran's Army a great achievement, saying the United States has violated Iran's airspace which is against the international law.
Yevseyev added that Russia will also intercept any drones if they want to enter the Russian territory, noting that Russia can use the Iranian experience in downing the US drone.
He also called for closer cooperation between Tehran and Moscow to solve the regional problems.
Iranian Army's electronic warfare unit successfully brought down the US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft with minimal damage on Sunday, December 4, 2011. The aircraft was flying over the northeastern Iran city of Kashmar, some 225 kilometers (140 miles) away from the Afghan border.
On December 6, two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the drone had been part of a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) espionage mission, involving the US intelligence community stationed in Afghanistan.
They said the reconnaissance capability of the drone enabled it to gather information from inside Iran by flying along Afghanistan's border with the Islamic Republic.
The RQ-170 is designed and developed by the US Lockheed Martin Company.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/216337.html 30 oct 2012, 15:20 , Respect -
Maria 18 dec 2011
Child in critical condition after being hit by settler bus
Settlers attack carol singers near Nablus
Newspapers Review: Dailies say ‘Price Tag’ Settlers Aim to Start Religious War
30 oct 2012, 15:20 , Respect -
Maria 19 dec 2011
Palestinian worker dies during Israeli police chase
TOBAS, (PIC)-- A Palestinian worker died on Sunday during a police chase of a number of workers in Tamra city in Palestinian land occupied in 1948, local sources said.
They said that Nazir Bani Odeh, 30, was working in a construction workshop when the Israeli police stormed the facility and all Arab workers fled.
The Israeli police chased the workers during which Bani Odeh, who is from Tamon village in Tobas province, collapsed and died of a heart attack.
In another development, Israeli occupation forces detained the owner of a money exchange shop in Al-Khalil city on Monday after confiscating whatever was inside the shop.
Another man was detained by the IOF troops in Beit Ola village to the west of Al-Khalil on Sunday night.
http://fwd4.me/0iqK
30 oct 2012, 15:20 , Respect -
Maria 19 dec 2011
Three Palestinian Children Injured Due to Explosion of Israeli Remnant in Gaza
GAZA, (WAFA) – Three Palestinian children were injured Monday due to explosion of a remnant Israeli army object in al-Muharrarat district, west of Rafah, according to medical sources.
Medical sources told WAFA that the moderately injured were transferred to Abu Yousef Al-Najar hospital in Rafah.
To be noted that three Palestinians Sunday sustained moderate injuries when an remnant object of the Israeli army exploded in Khuza’a, a town east of Khan Younis in Gaza, according to local sources.
Witnesses said that a father and his two sons were collecting scraps in the town when the remnant exploded.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18412 30 oct 2012, 15:20 , Respect -
Maria 19 dec 2011
'Price tag' slogans painted on Hebron mosque
Settlers burn 5 cars in Ramallah village
Israeli Soldiers Hand Palestinians Demolishing Notices
Court rules against 2 Palestinian evictions in Jerusalem
Occupation plan to demolish a hamlet in the Jordan valley
30 oct 2012, 15:21 , Respect -
Maria 20 dec 2011
Mansour Calls on Security Council to Act Against Israeli Violations
NEW YORK, (WAFA) – Ambassador and Permanent Observer of Palestine at the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, called on the UN Security Council to act against the Israeli violations against Palestinians and hold the Israeli government accountable for its provocative actions.
He explained, in a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, the extremely deteriorating situation in the Palestinian Territory including East Jerusalem, as a result of the illegal and provocative policies adopted by the Israeli government and settlers.
He focused on the settlers’ attacks against Palestinians, their properties and holy places and called on the international community to stop this violent and illegal campaign launched by settlers and their government.
He affirmed that the international community’s silence over the Israeli crimes and Israel’s rejection of submitting to law will lead to major failure in efforts to revive the peace process and achieve a two-state solution.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18421 30 oct 2012, 15:21 , Respect -
Maria 20 dec 2011
Israeli Bulldozers Raze 4 km Paved Road in Southern Nablus
Israeli Bulldozers Demolish Barracks in East Jerusalem
IOA bulldozers destroy Palestinian land in occupied Jerusalem
Expert: Israeli scheme to displace thousands of Palestinians in Al-Khalil
30 oct 2012, 15:21 , Respect -
Maria 21 dec 2011
Palestinian worker hurt by Israeli gunfire
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- A Palestinian worker has been injured by Israeli gunfire in the north of the Gaza Strip, local residents said Wednesday.
The 19-year-old worker was collecting stone aggregates when Israeli forces opened fire toward him, injuring his left leg, in the northern Bedouin village in Beit Lahiya, locals said.
He was taken to Kamal Adwan Hospital where doctors said his injuries were moderate.
Israel's army did not immediately return a call late Wednesday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=446982 30 oct 2012, 15:21 , Respect -
Maria 21 dec 2011
Settlers Uproot 30 Olive Trees, Write Anti-Arab Slogans in Hebron
Strict Israeli Military Measures in Jerusalem
Israel Demolishes Bedouin Village for 33rd Time
Israeli Bulldozers Raze Water Wells, Agricultural Sheds near Salfit
30 oct 2012, 15:21 , Respect -
Maria 22 dec 2011
Israeli Tanks Raid Khan Younis
GAZA, (WAFA) – Israeli tanks at dawn Thursday raided al-Farahin area, east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza strip, according to WAFA correspondent.
He said two Israeli bulldozers accompanied by a large number of tanks raided the area amidst heavy firing. No injuries were reported.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18458
- 11 dec 2011
Israeli Forces Severely Beat Jerusalemite Child, Injure 2 Palestinians
JERUSALEM, (WAFA) – Israeli forces Sunday severely beat a Palestinian child, 8, in the courtyard of the Damascus Gate, one of the main gates of the Old City of Jerusalem, according to WAFA correspondent.
He said that the incident aroused anger among Palestinians present at the scene, who responded by attacking the soldiers, leading to confrontations between them and the Israeli soldiers; two Palestinians were injured during the confrontations.
He added that a large Israeli force arrived at the scene, imposed a military cordon around it and closed the road leading to the old city of Jerusalem and the courtyard of the Damascus Gate.
Soldiers began chasing Palestinian youths and arrested one of them.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18317
30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 11 dec 2011
Funeral of murdered Mustafa Tamimi ends in more IOF violence and savagery
This has been one of the darkest and most disturbing days I have ever had to experience. The funeral of Mustafa Tamimi, murdered by the IOF at a demonstration at Nabi Saleh on Friday, ended with the IOF shooting endless rounds of the teargas canisters that killed Mustafa at unarmed mourners, beating and arresting people with impunity as they walked across Nabi Saleh village after the funeral.
Nabi Saleh, a small village of only 550 people, has been organising non-violent protests against the theft of their land since 2009. The illegal Israeli settlement of Halamish has continued to grow and expand since 1976, and the tiny village has been holding the demonstration for two years protesting against the confiscation of the village’s main water supply, the Kaws Spring. Nabi Saleh has become infamous for its violence and arrests against Palestinians, but until yesterday nobody had been killed there by the IOF.
Mustafa, a 28 year old Palestinian activist, died on Saturday morning after being critically injured when a tear gas canister was shot directly at his face from the inside of an armoured Israeli jeep only ten meters from where he was standing. The tear gas canister ripped through one side of his face causing a massive brain haemorrhage, and despite initial optimism he would survive on Friday night, he tragically passed away on Saturday morning.
I was initially supposed to be going to the Golan Heights today with the other volunteers from ICS, but when a funeral march was organised from the hospital where Mustafa died back to his village, I knew there was no way I could go and enjoy the tourist trappings of the Golan Heights on this terrible day for Palestine. Having always followed the tragic events that happen here, I had heard many times of Palestinians murdered by the IOF, but since being here the Palestinian struggle has become my struggle – when Mustafa died I felt my heart breaking at this unnecessary and cruel loss of life, and wept last night as if he were my own.
Around 200 people marched through the streets of Ramallah this morning carrying Mustafa’s body, wrapped in a Palestinian flag with a kuffieyeh to cover his head. As his body was laid in the ambulance, we got into a service to follow it to the village. On the way there, I called an activist friend of mine to let her know where we were going, and she warned me to be careful. I assured her that there was surely no way that the IOF would be able to unashamedly devastate the funeral of a young man with violence. I now realise just how naive that was, and how deeply I underestimated the savagery of the Israeli army.
By the time we arrived in the village of Nabi Saleh, there were more than 2000 people who had joined the funeral procession, the men carrying his body above their heads with cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’ (‘God is Great’) and the chilling howls of the village women calling Mustafa’s name echoing through the tiny village streets.
We saw Mustafa’s sister walking distraught but defiant, with tears wracking her face, and his father being held by both arms by men around him, almost unable to walk, crippled by his grief. This was the death of a martyr for the Palestinian struggle, and the devastating effects of his death could be seen in every face I turned to.
His body was carried through the streets to his home for a final goodbye, to the mosque where the funeral prayers were spoken, and then eventually to the grave overlooking the beautiful Palestinian valleys on the outskirts of the village. My flatmate wanted to say some prayers for Mustafa so we walked back towards the mosque, but when we returned to the cemetery I was surprised to see the mourners had dispersed, when suddenly I recognised the acrid smell of tear gas fill my nose and my stomach turned as I realised what was taking place.
As I sprinted down the rocky terrain towards the entrance of the village, I saw elderly women and children running back up the other way, their faces blotchy and red with burning tears, doubled over and wretching as they tried to move away from where the army was firing. Unarmed mourners who only moments before had been grieving tears for their lost son, were now being attacked by the Israeli army with round after round of tear gas and being sprayed with skunk water, a foul smelling liquid unlike any waste sewage you have ever smelt.
As I moved closer to the protesters, I asked what had happened and they explained that the ten Israeli army jeeps I could see in the distance had arrived during the funeral, and were placed there to taunt and goad this grieving village. In the distance I could see the young men throwing stones at the army vehicles, a symbolic gesture expressing their deep anger against the death of their brother and against this cruel and twisted occupation.
Suddenly, I heard a loud crack and all around me the silver tear gas canisters that had killed Mustafa were being shot directly at where I was standing with other activists from ISM, and we ran up the road through clouds of billowing tear gas smoke, desperately trying to avoid the path of these silver bullet-like objects.
We were called up the road by a Palestinian from the village and he pointed down the hill to the east of the village where another unit of IOF soldiers were standing languidly at the bottom – waiting, goading, intimidating – knowing that the Palestinians would not stand by as another group of soldiers occupied their land on this day. We ran down the rocky slope where at the bottom the women who earlier had been sobbing and lamenting the death of Mustafa were now screaming into the faces of these IOF soldiers, holding his picture to their faces and demanding to know which one of them had killed their brother.
As I stood taking photographs of this painful scene, time suddenly collapsed into itself when I saw one of the soldiers smirk and tear the poster of Mustafa from a woman’s hands and rip it into pieces at the same moment a sound bomb exploded next to me, quickly followed by a tear gas canister that had been thrown and detonated at my feet. My face, my head, my mouth, my whole body was suddenly filled with tear gas and I ran away blindly as my face scorched from the gas and I felt like my head was going to explode on itself. I couldn’t breathe nor see nor think of anything apart from the burning that filled my lungs and head, and in the panic and confusion I ran as fast as I could from the canister.
But no demonstration I have attended here could have prepared me for the scene that was unfolding when I finally managed to regain my balance and ran back up the road to where the soldiers and Palestinians had gathered.
IOF soldiers were savagely beating anybody within their vicinity, three or four soldiers at a time grabbing men and throwing them to the floor, kicking them violently and stamping on their heads. As I stood back from the scene taking photographs, a soldier suddenly lunged towards us entirely unprovoked and threw one of the ISM activists I was with against the barrier of the road, doubling him over it as his body crashed to the ground. I screamed in his face WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU ANIMALS and he shoved me out the way and turned back to the group of soldiers that has amassed to join in the violent spree.
As they tried to arrest more and more people the group of strong and defiant Palestinian women we were with threw their bodies over the men they were trying to drag away, and the soldiers began dragging these women by their hijabs, their clothes, wringing the necks of the men who were under this pile of women and trying to pull them from underneath. Covering and protecting the bodies of those trying to be arrested, the women were screaming so loudly for the soldiers to stop and this sound pierced my heart more deeply than any sound bomb could ever have done.
As I stood a few paces back from what was happening, my whole body was wracked with uncontrollable sobs as I helplessly looked on as the scene unfolded. Never in my life have I felt more powerless, weak and unable to do anything to intervene in the horrific scene that was playing out in front of my very eyes. The soldiers there were like savages, no remorse in their faces as their murderous hands grabbed and pulled the bodies of these innocent people who had come that day to mourn the loss of their brother.
After arresting three and beating many more, the group was forced to retreat back up the hill we had come from, running from the soldiers as they fired round after round of tear gas after us. A tear gas bomb exploded directly at the feet of one of the protesters, and inhaling the thick plumes of smoke he began suffocating and collapsed on the ground. As people gathered around him trying to help him, the soldiers who were watching what was happening started firing tear gas directly at the group that was helping the unconscious man, and they were forced to drag his body up the hill to escape.
We spent the next twenty minutes dodging tear gas as we made our way back up the hill, until eventually things began to calm so we made our way back to where the protest had begun originally, and the violence there too had dissipated.
As we sat in the service on the way back to Ramallah, I came to understand what the word ‘shell shocked’ really means. My mind was almost numb as we drove through the Palestinian valleys, unable to truly comprehend the things I had seen. It was only when I got back to my flat and recounted what had happened to my anxious flatmates that all my anger and distress bubbled to the surface once again, and I sobbed uncontrollably as I tried to understand what I had just experienced.
Knowing that this level of violence is what the Palestinian people have experienced for 64 years, almost powerless against the brutal, mechanised force of a murdering Israeli army, serves to only more deeply cement my hatred for the IOF and the terrible things they inflict on the wonderful people I have spent the last three months with. Its difficult to put into words the grief and humiliated anger that I feel as I sit here writing this, and yet I still cannot believe that the Palestinians are so strong and defiant against this savage, repressive force.
The injustice of the occupation courses through my veins, and I cannot begin to get my head around the mentality that would allow the Israeli soldiers to act as they did today. As one of my flatmates said, the IOF have no respect for the living, so why would we think they would have even an ounce of respect for the dead? What I saw today was humanity at its very worst, savagery that I did not think possible. Yet still knowing that this is only scratching the surface of the suffering experienced by Palestinians as they try to defend their lives, their lands and their homes hurts me more deeply than anything I have experienced in my life.
This is not propaganda. This is not my opinion. This is an account of a terrible scene that should only reinforce how destructive and cruel this occupation really is. Those who try to explain or justify the behaviour of the Israeli army are as complicit in these actions as the soldiers perpetrating these terrible crimes. Silence is compliance – I will not be silenced.
?”I loathe my enemy. I will never forgive, I will never forget. People who say such hatred transforms a person into a bitter cruel shell know nothing of the Israeli army. This hatred will not cripple me. What does that mean anyway? Do I not continue to write? Do I not continue to protest? Do I not continue to resist? Hating them sustains me, as opposed to normalizing with them. Their hatred of me makes reinforces the truth of their being murderous machines. My hatred of them makes me human.” – Linah Alsaafin
In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians. RIP Mustafa Tamimi – you will never be forgotten.
http://fwd4.me/0iQ2 also http://fwd4.me/0iNQ more pictures and tweets
Funeral
We are now on the way to nabi saleh where mustafa's family will see him its the hardest thing when a mother sees her son dead.
Its weird, but there is unusual soldier activity on the way to Nabi Saleh. The procession is still ongoing.
A big line of cars driving to NabiSaleh ironicly 2 Israeli jeeps are in the line
A armored jeep just stopped at the entrance of Nabi Saleh MustafaTamimi
Soldiers are on the hill for provocation. We rolled down the window and yelled You killed him! One shouted back 'Fuck u!' US accent.
Tear gas jeep already awaiting us near the entrance of nabi saleh mustafa tamimi
Many people are telling me about how Israeli soldiers were laughing and making fun of Tamimi's relatives after he was shot on Friday.
Hundreds of people out. We've reached nabi saleh.
At least seven Israeli military jeeps present. The Israeli army is preparing the jeep mounted device which can fire forty rounds of tear gas in one round as Tamimi's body arrives Likely more will follow. Mustafa Tamimi's body has arrived in Nabi Saleh
The normally jovial Shbab of Nabi Saleh are simply overtaken with grief. Hard to describe. Nabi Saleh is a village of 500 people. Mustafa Tamimi was basically everyone's brother or son or cousin. The village is grieving as one.
Mustafa was carried to his mother and family crying weeping they kiss his face. MustafaTamimi's mom is saying good bye to her son for the last time.
The Israeli army has pulled back from the entrance.
Notably missing in Nabi Saleh are any high ranking Palestinian Authority officials.
Remember that Mustafa Tamimi was killed while standing side by side with Israeli and international activists. A young man with his life in front of him, Tamimi felt that unarmed struggle with Isr activists was the way to achieve his fight for rights.
Mustafa Tamimi has been buried in the centre of his village after being killed by an Israeli tear gas canister on Friday. Mustafa is gone his body is laying few meter away from where he was shot and where Israeli jeeps are parked now.
RIP MustafaTamimi, buried in his village of nabi saleh palestine (photo's)
Israeli Human Center Demands Investigation of Palestinian’s Death in Nabi Saleh
TEL AVIV, (WAFA) – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territory, B'Tselem, demanded that the investigation of Palestinian protester, Mustafa Tamimi’s death examine not only the conduct of the soldier who fired the tear-gas canister at him, but also the responsibility of the command echelon, including the orders given to the soldier, Sunday said a press release published on the Center’s website.
It said that B'Tselem wrote to the office of the military advocate for operational matters to verify that a military police investigation unit (MPIU) investigation had been opened in the case of Tamimi, in accordance with the new policy that the military advocate general's corps MAG Corps declared before the High Court of Justice.
For several years now, B'Tselem has been warning officials that security forces fire tear-gas canisters directly at persons during demonstrations. The organization has demanded – both in meetings with senior military officials and by letter – that commanders clarify to soldiers serving in the field that firing tear-gas canisters directly at a person is unlawful.
Tear gas is supposed to serve as a non-lethal means to disperse demonstrations, and using it as a substitute for live fire is forbidden. Therefore, firing tear-gas canisters directly at persons breaches the rules of engagement.
Such firing has resulted in serious injury and death. In April 2009, Bassem Abu-Rahmah, from the village of Bi’lin, was killed by a tear gas canister that struck him in the chest. B'Tselem knows of 13 cases in which persons were seriously injured in similar circumstances since the beginning of the second intifada. B'Tselem has also documented direct firing of canisters that did not result in injury, and has provided the Military Advocate General Corps and the commander of Judea and Samaria Brigade with video footage of such firing.
In response to B'Tselem’s demands, the then-legal advisor for Judea and Samaria, Col. Sharon Afek, replied in April 2009 that, “direct firing [of tear-gas canisters] at persons is prohibited” and that, “very soon, an explicit and broad directive will be issued that will prohibit the firing of a tear-gas canister directly at a person.”
In July 2011, following further requests by B'Tselem, after the direct firing continued to occur at demonstrations, Major Uri Sagi, of the office of the legal advisor for Judea and Samaria, replied that, “following your letter, we have again clarified to the forces operating in Central Command the rules relating to firing of tear-gas canisters at persons, including the prohibition on directly firing a tear-gas canister at a person.” At meetings with B'Tselem, senior military officials claimed that such firing is forbidden and does not occur.
However, B'Tselem has since documented more cases in which security forces fired tear-gas canisters directly at persons. As far as B'Tselem knows, no soldier has been prosecuted for such firing. In the abovementioned case of Abu-Rahmah, which occurred in April 2009, a Military Police investigation was opened only in July 2010, and only after B'Tselem and Attorney Micha’el Sfard threatened to petition the High Court of Justice if an investigation were not initiated.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18320 30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 12 dec 2011
Israeli ministers threaten new war on Gaza
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- The Israeli government has held the Hamas movement responsible for the rocket attacks on Israeli targets and threatened a new war on Gaza to halt those attacks, which were in response to Israeli deadly raids.
A number of ministers emphasized in statements on Sunday that the military option was the most likely option to halt the Palestinian resistance’s rocket attacks.
Eli Yishai, the interior minister, said that Israel will be “compelled” to launch a military strike on Gaza if the rocket attacks continued, adding, “There is a limit to our patience”.
Finance minister Yuval Steinitz said that his government will be “forced” sooner or later to launch a military campaign against Gaza.
Minister of strategic affairs Moshe Yalon said that no country would accept such a situation.
An Israeli air raid killing two activists triggered the cycle of violence in the area. Later raids killed two others since Thursday prompting rocket response from resistance factions that did not inflict any human casualties.
http://fwd4.me/0iTM 30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 13 dec 2011
Two Palestinians including child wounded in IOF incursion
GAZA, (PIC)-- A Palestinian child and a man were wounded when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) entered central Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning amidst random firing, local sources said.
They said that a 14-year-old child and a 48-year-old citizen were wounded in the raid to the east of Breij refugee camp, and described their injuries as moderate.
The PIC reporter said that a number of IOF tanks escorted bulldozers in the area and bulldozed lands as the soldiers fired indiscriminately at nearby neighborhoods.
In a similar incident, IOF soldiers in a number of armored vehicles entered into eastern Gaza city and leveled land while firing in all directions.
Local sources said that the IOF units infiltrated 300 meters from the Mintar crossing then started the bulldozing of land.
http://fwd4.me/0iVP 30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 13 dec 2011
Voices from the Occupation: Nedal H. - Injuries
Name: Nedal H.
Date of incident: 13 December 2011
Age: 13
Location: Erez industrial zone, Gaza
Nature of incident: Shot while collectinig scrap metal
On 13 December 2011, a 13-year-old boy from Gaza is shot in the shoulder whilst collecting scrap metal, about 400 metres from the border with Israel.
Thirteen-year-old Nedal describes his family’s financial situation as “very harsh”. “I was very weak at school,” says Nedal, “and had to drop out last year after only finishing the fifth grade because I failed three times. I dropped out and tried to learn a trade to help me support my family and myself, but I failed.”
“Ahmad is my cousin and my best friend. He is like me, a drop-out. Everyday he collects scrap metal from Erez and earns 30 to 40 shekels, depending on how much he collects,” says Nedal. “I saw Ahmad yesterday evening, 12 December, and told him I would like to join him in collecting scrap metal from the industrial zone, and share the 15 shekel rent for the donkey cart. He told me to be ready the following morning at 7:30 am.”
The next morning the two boys set off to collect scrap metal from the industrial zone as agreed. “We approached Erez Crossing and got off the cart and started walking and looking for scrap metal, about 400 metres from the border fence,” recalls Nedal. “We were not alone. There were around 30 collectors my age. I also saw two Israeli observation towers on the border, but I did not see any soldiers inside.”
“We stopped the cart on the paved road and walked to the industrial zone to the west. Suddenly, shooting erupted from one of the observation towers. I was about 40 to 50 metres west of the paved road, and about 400 metres away from the border fence. The collectors started running because of it. I myself got scared.
I turned around and started running away from the border, and headed back to the cart that was parked to the southeast. I kept running fast because the shooting was intensive,” says Nedal. “I ran about 10 metres when I felt something hitting me on the back of my left shoulder, and I felt my left arm had been paralyzed. I looked at it and saw my shoulder bleeding, and realised I had been injured by bullets from the observation towers.”
Another scrap metal collector carried Nedal to a nearby horse cart and he was transferred to Balsam Hospital, and then to Kamal Odwan Hospital. Doctors at the hospital operated to remove the bullet and told Nedal that he would be hospitalised for two to three days. “I will never go back to the industrial zone. I went there to collect scrap metal to help my family, and I got shot on the first day. It is a very dangerous thing to do, and I do not recommend it,” says Nedal. “As for Ahmad, I was told he went back to the industrial zone to get the donkey cart.”
http://fwd4.me/0ikp
New report documents children under fire in Gaza
Twenty-eight cases of children being shot at by the border fence between Israel and the Gaza strip whilst gathering building materials like gravel, or working by the fence, have been documented by Defence for Children International in their latest report ‘Children of Gravel’.
The shootings reportedly took place between March 26 2010 and October 3, 2011, according to Defence for Children International (DCI)-Palestine Section . According to DCI, the Israeli soldiers often fire warning shots to scare off workers by the border. Their report also states that ‘these soldiers sometimes shoot and kill the donkeys used by the workers, and also target the workers, usually, but not always, shooting at their legs.’
‘That children are in a situation where they need to work to help their parents meet basic family needs is an infringement of their rights. That children are in the line of fire to meet these needs is appalling,’ says World Vision Programme Director for Gaza, Siobhan Kimmerle.
Forty percent of Gaza’s population is unemployed and 80% of the population is completely reliant on foreign assistance. In addition, Israeli restrictions limit the amount of construction material entering the Gaza borders for reconstruction and development. As a result, many workers collect gravel and sell it to builders to use for concrete. The children among the gravel collectors earn about US$8-$14 per day to help support their families.
The North Gaza governorate is one of the most impoverished governorates in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) and the neediest in the Gaza Strip. In comparison to the other governorates in the Gaza Strip, North Gaza’s food insecurity rate is the highest at 60% and the unemployment rate the second highest at 39%. World Vision works with communities in North Gaza to help improve family livelihoods and help ensure their children are cared for and protected.
Currently there are 2,411 registered children in World Vision’s North Gaza Area Development Programme, with 7,061 beneficiaries and as many as 22,594 indirect beneficiaries. World Vision’s programming in North Gaza includes rural development, job creation, and child empowerment projects.
The blockade of the Gaza Strip, including Israeli restrictions on items entering the borders, continue to harm Gaza’s deteriorating economy. The Israeli military continues to restrict Palestinians’ access to the land on the Gaza side of the Israeli-Gaza border, maintaining that anyone that comes within 300 metres of the borders puts his/her life at risk, which has had a negative impact on the physical security and livelihoods of Palestinians living in that area. DCI’s documentation indicates that children have been shot at while being between 30 to 800 metres within the Israeli border fence.
To read the DCI’s Urgent Appeal-Children of the Gravel, please visit DCI Palestine
World Vision continues to work for the well-being of children and advocate for an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. World Vision believes that this conflict threatens the lives of all Palestinian and Israeli children, and one of the greatest obstacles to achieving fullness of life for each and every child is the ongoing conflict and the perpetuation of violence.
Sources:
1) Defence for Children International-Palestine Section, Urgent Appeal-Children of the Gravel, available here. Last accessed on November 25, 2011.
2) Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, Gaza Strip, available here. Last accessed on November 25, 2011.
3) Oxfam International, Crisis in Gaza, available here. Last accessed on December 9, 2011.
http://fwd4.me/0iWu
30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 14 dec 2011
Gaza man shot by soldiers 'critically wounded'
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- A man in his 20s is in critical condition after being shot by Israeli soldiers east of Gaza City on Wednesday morning, medics said.
Medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya told Ma'an the man was shot in the thigh while hunting for birds in the Shujaiyeh neighborhood.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that soldiers identified a "suspicious individual" approaching the security fence.
She said soldiers shot the man in the legs after he failed to respond to orders to leave the area.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=444882 30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 14 dec 2011
Israeli Soldiers Hold Palestinian Responsible for any Attacks Against them
HEBRON, (WAFA) – Israeli soldiers Wednesday held a Palestinian, Eyad al-Halayqeh, from the neighborhood of Wadi al-Sheikh north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, responsible for any attacks against them in the neighborhood.
Al-Halayqeh said Israeli soldiers raided his home at dawn Wednesday. They forced him to stand outside in the cold, searched his home and threatened to kill him and his children, all under the age of three, claiming that a number of youth threw rocks at their vehicles along the road near his house.
He said that soldiers also took his phone number and his full name.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18362
30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 14 dec 2011
Urgent Appeal - (UA - 4/11) - Children of Azzun
Since January 2009, DCI-Palestine alone has documented 43 cases of children from Azzun village who have been detained by Israeli forces, mostly on suspicion of throwing stones.
It should be noted that these cases only represent a small sample of the total number of cases involving the arrest of children from Azzun. Reports of ill-treatment and/or torture are common place. Please send urgent appeals.
http://fwd4.me/0iko
15 dec 2011
Urgent Appeal (UA 4/10) - Children of the Gravel
Between 26 March 2010 and 13 December 2011, DCI-Palestine has documented 29 cases of children shot whilst collecting building material or working near the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
In the cases documented by DCI-Palestine, the children report being shot whilst working between 30 to 800 metres from the border fence.
http://fwd4.me/0ike 30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:19 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:20 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:20 , Respect -
Maria 17 dec 2011
Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian in Gaza
GAZA, (WAFA) – Israeli shelling of an area east of Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip on Friday evening left one Palestinian dead, according to medical sources.
They said Israeli soldiers opened fire at an agricultural land east of Bureij camp causing the death of Majid Nabahin, 35.
They said Nabahin had most likely died from internal bleeding caused by the powerful explosion from the percussion bombs fired by Israeli soldiers.
Elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats in al-Sudaniya area, north of Gaza, on Friday but without causing any injury.
Earlier, a Palestinian fisherman, Zaki Tarosh, 45, from Gaza City, was injured in the left foot after Israeli gunboats opened fire at a group of fishermen near the city's shore.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18387