january 2005
PALESTINE :
This
is ONE
date on the Calendar of crime and occupation by
the Israel Army in Palestine
14
December 2004 18:34
At least four killed,
seventeen wounded and 25 homes leveled in Kahn Younis . A medical source in
Khan Younis reported that four residents have been killed
and at least seventeen wounded, some very severely, and
that at least 25 homes have been destroyed during an
Israeli military assault on Khan Younis refugee camp, in
the southern part of the Gaza Strip Friday morning.
Earlier reports speculated that five residents were
killed in the military raid, so far four of those deaths
have been confirmed. The assault is ongoing in Khan
Younis, with home destructions and fatalities mounting. A
local source in Khan Younis stated that soldiers are
currently attacking Khan Younis, and that more military
vehicles and tanks centered at Naveh Dkalim settlement,
have moved towards Al-Tuffah checkpoint, west of Khan
Younis, after shelling the area. The source reported that
soldiers also encircled the ‘Austrian neighborhood'
after completely isolating it from the surrounding areas,
and conducted military searches of homes while using
residents' roof tops as monitoring towers. Residents of
Khan Younis fear that soldiers are planning to destroy
apartment buildings as well as houses, after seeing
soldiers carrying explosives entering the buildings. At
least two residents were arrested in the military raid,
and transferred to a neighboring military camp. The
Israeli Army has been using loud speakers to order
residents to get out of their homes, and threatening to
kill any resident who doesn't comply.
...........................................................................................
At approximately 8:00AM this morning, villagers
of Bi'lin and international peace activists, including
Israeli activists, gathered in the center of the village
of Bil'in, located between Ramallah and Budrus. They
organized a peaceful protest against the construction of
the illegal Israeli Wall that began two days ago. The
Israeli army is preparing to destroy the village
residents' trees and land in order
to make way for the Wall.
The protestors marched to the construction site and were
met by at least 30 Israeli soldiers, border police and
other security personnel. The army began throwing sound
bombs and shooting rubber- coated steel bullets at the
peaceful protestors in an attempt to remove them from the
area.
As Israeli occupation forces began arresting
Palestinians, international peace activists were beaten
and also arrested as they tried to intervene
nonviolently. One international was beaten repeatedly in
the legs and was unable to walk. An IWPS member,
Kate, was among the internationals arrested, and taken to
the nearest police station. She was filming the
actions of the occupation forces as they shot, teargassed
and beat the peaceful demonstrators. She has been
taken to the Israeli Ministry of
Interior in Jerusalem. She now faces deportation.
Four Israeli activists and two other internationals have
also been arrested.
...........................................................................................................
Mr. Hanna Nasser, Mayor of
Bethlehem criticized
the "silence of the Christian world" amidst all
sort of military aggressions and violations in Bethlehem
and described their position as "shameful".
Nasser in a press conference held in relation to the
upcoming Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem , said that
Bethlehem had been subjected to continuous military
invasion for more than four year,
while the Christian world stood helpless.
"For more than four years, army continuously invaded
the city, destroyed confiscated lands, while the
Christian world stood helpless in spite that Bethlehem
has a unique importance for the Christians, and non
Christians, all over the world". Nasser added that
when the church of Nativity was surrounded on April 2002,
the world stood short of saving the city and when the
crisis was solved, the besieged residents were deported
to the Gaza Strip and Europe. Moreover, Nasser said that
the army is continuously confiscating lands in the north
of the city for the separation wall, while settlers and
soldiers controlled Palestinian homes near Rachel Tomb,
in order to transfer the tomb and Bilal Bin Rabah mosque
area into settlements. "What is happening in the
holy city of Bethlehem is an shameful act to the Israeli
government which conducts these violations while the
Christian world is watching these violations without
attempting to save the city", Nasser said.
Nasser added that the size of Bethlehem is reducing as
the Israeli authorities continued their planes to expand
the settlements surrounding the city and destroying its
fields, in addition to destroying the northern entrance
which is the main "gate" for tourists and
pilgrims to the holy city.
Commenting on Israeli allegation concerning allowing
Christian pilgrims to enter the city during Christmases
calibrations, Nasser said that the ministry of tourism in
the P.A received promises from
his Israeli counterpart, but "we got used to such
promises which were never fulfilled", Nasser said.
Nasser added that in light of the death pf the
Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, Bethlehem
municipality decided to reduce the quantity of
Christmases decorations, and only limit them to the
manger square area and the surrounded places, "yet a
Christmas tree will be decorated and shining, as usual,
in the manger square", Nasser said.
.........................................................................................
Contacts between Hamas, US
and the EU
on cease-fire are underway, Hamas leader said in on
Monday. Hamas' Politburo chief, Sheikh Khaeld Masha'al
said in an interview with the BBC that a cease-fire might
be possible only if a Palestinian referendum is held on
this issue or negotiated among all resistance factions.
Masha'al said that the political process and the
resistance went hand in hand and that Hamas would reject
calls for a cease-fire even if they came from a new
elected Palestinian President. "Negotiating without
resistance leads to surrender but negotiating with
resistance leads to real peace," Masha'al said. He
stated that Washington made contact with Hamas recently
and the EU is still holding meetings with it. "The
European Union, which put Hamas on a list of terrorist
organizations, is still continuing communications and
meetings," Masha'al said. "The American
administration, which also put us on terror lists and
criticizes us, contacted us in the past months," he
added.
A Spokeswoman of the EU dismissed Masha'al statements
saying she was unaware of any contact between the bloc
and Hamas. There was no immediate comment from the U.S.
State Department and a White House official dismissed the
comments. "We've heard these reports but we're not
aware of anything that would substantiate them," the
official said.
In an interview with Sheikh Hasan Yousef few days ago,
the recently released Hamas leader told IMEMC that it is
pointless to talk about cease-fire as long as Israel is
going on with its assassinations, home demolition and
invasions.
Last month, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he
had direct talks with Hamas and then, hours later, denied
it. After Hamas rejected EU calls to stop its suicide
attacks against the EU put the organization on its list
of terror. The United States also regards Hamas, which
advocates the destruction of Israel, as a terrorist
group, yet is currently in contact with it.
...........................................................................................
Tulkarem refugee camp invadedA Palestinian security
source in Tulkarem reported that soldiers invaded
Tulkarem refugee camp, in Tulkarem, north of the West
Bank, and conducted military searches. The source stated
that soldiers encircled the camp, on Thursday at dawn,
and fired several rounds at an electricity generator
completely destroying it cutting power supply to the
camp. Also soldiers invaded Romman village, east of
Tulkarem, fired at dozens of homes causing considerable
damages and conducted military searches of homes.
...............................................................................................
East Jerusalem is part of the
Occupied Palestinian Territories, and its Palestinian
residents, who do not hold Israeli citizenship, are
entitled to fully participate in Palestinian
elections.
Israel is banning opening voters' registration centers in
East Jerusalem. This will severely hinder the right of
the Palestinian people in the city to vote.
In doing this, Israel is violating its commitment to help
facilitate the Palestinian Presidential
elections. Israeli occupying forces must not
be allowed to repress elector registration.
Talks between the PA & Israel on voter registration
in Jerusalem are taking place and the International
Solidarity Movement (ISM )will await the results of these
negotiations before planning actions that would
assist the Palestinian people of East Jerusalem to
register and vote.
ISM groups are currently meeting with Palestinian
institutes in East Jerusalem, to support them in inviting
all the Palestinian presidential candidates to visit them
to hold public meetings, rallies and debates.
Actions will include: monitoring and reporting Israeli
forces restrictions on movement of electors and
candidates; highlighting Israeli occupation challenges
and obstacles to `free and open' elections; joining
Palestinian-led non-violent direct actions against any
Israeli measure that could obstruct the election
campaign.
West Bank: ISM will be
monitoring and reporting the Israeli occupation's
restriction of movement within the West Bank.
Groups will travel between village, towns and
cities. These routes will be used by
Palestinians to access presidential candidates, and by
the candidates themselves. Documenting and
reporting during the election campaign, up to and
including election day will highlight any movement
restrictions or other measures used by the Israeli
occupying forces to repress the election process.
ISM will be ready to go to Palestinian cities, villages
and refugee camps if reports of incursions or closures
are received. Violations that prevent the
right of Palestinian people to vote must be monitored and
reported during the full election campaign
period. ISM will work to monitor links
between Israeli daily arrests and Israel's attempts to
influence election results. If necessary, ISM will
be ready to stay in areas where such violations are
occurring and ongoing.
.............................................................................................
Gaza:
Dr.
Moawiya Hassanen, of the Palestinian Authority Health
Ministry, stated that the number of Palestinians killed
in the Gaza Strip has risen to 11. At least 54 have been
wounded, eight critically. Dr. Hassanen reported that
soldiers shot Mohammad Jarghoun, 23, during a fire
exchange in Khan Younis while the army was shelling
dozens of homes and residential towers. A local source in
Khan Younis reported that soldiers fired tank shells and
missiles at homes and apartment buildings in the city and
nearby refugee camp, destroying at least 40 homes and
leaving hundreds homeless in an unseasonably cold winter.
The residents, who were ordered to evacuate their homes
or be killed by the Israeli army, have taken shelter in a
United Nations-run school. The source stated that
soldiers stationed at military camps and settlements
encircling the city shot nine members of one family in
the Al-Tartoury area, in the western section of Khan
Younis. Among the wounded is a 15 year old child who was
critically wounded.
A foreign worker from Thailand was killed when a mortar shell struck the greenhouse of a settlement in Gush Katif settlements bloc in the Gaza Strip where she was working, two other Thai workers sustained light injuries.All three were initially treated at the scene, then evacuated to Soroka hospital in Be'er Sheva. The woman died of her wounds while being airlifted to the hospital.
Also
Palestinian medical sources reported that a Palestinian
policeman was killed and two others seriously injured by
Israeli army fire in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli
army reported that soldiers opened fire at
“suspicious figures crawling toward them” near
the border with Egypt.
...........................................................................................
Election
Campaign
Safe passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for
presidential candidates is an essential
part of the election
campaign. If Israel fails to provide safe
passage it will hinder the ability of Palestinians to run
`free and open' elections. The people of Gaza
have the right to have access to all the presidential
candidates. ISM will campaign for the freedom of
movement of any presidential candidate that seeks to
commute between the two separate sections of the
Palestinian occupied territories. They will also be
ready to join Palestinian-led non-violent direct actions
if Israel fails to provide free movement between the two
areas of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. ISM
supports the right of all Palestinians and all candidates
to participate in the electoral process.These photos
provide the proof that politicians are not permitted to
campaign.::
Bassam Salhi and Mustapha Barghouthi
prevented from free access to Hebron
Coordination with Israeli
Activists and Organizations: ISM will work with
Israeli organizations and activists who support the right
of Palestinians to participate in the electoral process
and vote on election day.
.........................................................................
Section 6 in Bir Shiva Prison
Lawyer
of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society Fawwaz
Al-Shalloudi, after visiting Section 6 in Bir Shiva
prison reported that the section is considered the
hardest and most dangerous section were the prisoners are
continuously violated and abused. Al-Shalloudi stated
that the detainees are not allowed out of their rooms and
cells, which are very small and filled with humidity and
bugs, and when they are allowed, the administration bars
the detainees in this section to be allowed out of their
rooms at the same time. Also, Al-Shalloudi added that the
soldiers are repeatedly attacking the room for security
reasons, as the administration describes it, causing
damages to the rooms and the belongings of the detainees.
According
to Al-Shalloudi, the following detainees are isolated and
barred from their visitation rights for several years.
1. Hani Rasmi Jaber, 30, Hebron , spent 4.5 years without
visitations.
2. Ateyya Hassan Abu Asab, 40, Hebron , 5 years without
visitations.
3. Jaber Ibrahim Basha, 33, Tulkarem, 3 years without
visitations.
Al-Shalloudi also said that detainees in Bir Shiva detention do not have books, and money, and are repeatedly placed in solitary. Al-Shalloudi said that there are several detainees who need direct medical attention and treatment, especially detainee Jasser Afif, from Tulkarem, who suffers from sever fractions to the foot and nose. The detainees complain of lack of medications and treatment, and they have to walk for along distance to reach the prison clinic, which also lacks all needed equipment, main medication used there is a pain killer pill.
..................................................................................................