(c) Anne Paq/tourbillonphoto.com
Manifestation a Bethlehem contre le siege de Gaza, 22 Janvier 2008.
Demonstration in Bethlehem against the siege of Gaza, 22 January 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
For Gaza
(c) Anne Paq/tourbillonphoto.com
Manifestation a Bethlehem contre le siege de Gaza, 22 Janvier 2008.
Demonstration in Bethlehem against the siege of Gaza, 22 January 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Gaza will not be forgotten
Gaza will not be forgotten!
End the siege of Gaza.
We want to appeal to all concerned, whether it be official bodies in the International community, those in Israel and/or those within the Palestinian community to work together to prevent the crimes being committed against the civilians in Gaza because it is our responsibility to take a stand against this oppression.
We would particularly like to raise awareness about the effect the fuel shortage is having on everyday life. The civilians left without fuel are left without the basic rights stated in Article 25 of Universal declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including medical care". These standards have been removed because without fuel there is no source of heating, ability to cook or clean water supply. In addition some of the hospitals have been forced to limit their energy usage to only essential life-saving equipment, and heating cannot be one of these priorities even in this particularly harsh winter.
We, Palestinians and Internationals together, invite u to join us in solidarity with those in Gaza suffering from the sanctions Israel have imposed upon them. We are here to protest against the collective punishment from which the people of Gaza are suffering. Collective punishment is illegal according to international law.
We will not stay silent in front of blatant injustice.
Please join us, bring a candle in front of the Nativity Church, at 6pm, Tuesday 22 January and spread the word,
GAZA: AN ISRAELI CALL FOR URGENT ACTION
We, the Israeli organizations signed below, deplore the decision by the Israeli government to cut off vital supplies of electricity and fuel (and therefore water, since the pumps cannot work), as well as essential foodstuffs, medicines and other humanitarian supplies to the civilian population of Gaza . Such an action constitutes a clear and unequivocal crime against humanity.
Prof. John Dugard, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories , called the Israeli government’s actions “serious war crimes” for which its political and military officials should be prosecuted and punished. The killing of more than 40 civilians this past week violates, he said, “the strict prohibition on collective punishment contained in the Fourth Geneva Convention. It also violates one of the basic principles of international humanitarian law that military action must distinguish between military targets and civilian targets.” Indeed, the very legal framework invoked by the Israeli government to carry out this illegal and immoral act – declaring Gaza a “hostile entity” within a “conflict short of war” – has absolutely no standing in international law.
We call on the Secretary General of the UN, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, to lead the Security Council to a decisive decision to end the siege on Gaza when it meets in emergency session on Wednesday.
We call on the governments of the world, and in particular the American government and the European Parliament, to censure Israel ’s actions and, in light of recent attempts to revive the diplomatic process, to end all attacks on civilians, including the continuing demolition of Palestinian homes at an alarming rate.
We call upon the Jews of the world in whose name the Israeli government purports to speak, and upon their rabbis and communal leaders in particular, to speak out unequivocally against this offense to the very moral core of Jewish values.
And we call upon the peoples of the world to let their officials and leaders know of their repudiation of this cruel, illegal and immoral act – an act that stands out in its cruelty even in an already oppressive Israeli Occupation.
We condemns attacks on all civilians, and we acknowledge the suffering of the residents of Sderot. Still, those attacks do not justify the massive disproportionality of Israeli sanctions over a million and half civilians of Gaza , in particular in light of Israel ’s oppressive 40 year occupation. Such violations of international law by a government are especially egregious and must be denounced and punished if the very system of human rights and international law is to be preserved.
The Israeli government’s decision to punish Gaza ’s civilian population, with all the human suffering that entails, constitutes State Terrorism against innocent people. Only when Israeli policy-makers are held accountable for their actions and international law upheld will a just peace be possible in the Middle East .
The Alternative Information Center * Bat Tsafon * Gush Shalom * The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) * Physicians for Human Rights * The Women’s Coalition for Peace
End the siege of Gaza.
We want to appeal to all concerned, whether it be official bodies in the International community, those in Israel and/or those within the Palestinian community to work together to prevent the crimes being committed against the civilians in Gaza because it is our responsibility to take a stand against this oppression.
We would particularly like to raise awareness about the effect the fuel shortage is having on everyday life. The civilians left without fuel are left without the basic rights stated in Article 25 of Universal declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including medical care". These standards have been removed because without fuel there is no source of heating, ability to cook or clean water supply. In addition some of the hospitals have been forced to limit their energy usage to only essential life-saving equipment, and heating cannot be one of these priorities even in this particularly harsh winter.
We, Palestinians and Internationals together, invite u to join us in solidarity with those in Gaza suffering from the sanctions Israel have imposed upon them. We are here to protest against the collective punishment from which the people of Gaza are suffering. Collective punishment is illegal according to international law.
We will not stay silent in front of blatant injustice.
Please join us, bring a candle in front of the Nativity Church, at 6pm, Tuesday 22 January and spread the word,
GAZA: AN ISRAELI CALL FOR URGENT ACTION
We, the Israeli organizations signed below, deplore the decision by the Israeli government to cut off vital supplies of electricity and fuel (and therefore water, since the pumps cannot work), as well as essential foodstuffs, medicines and other humanitarian supplies to the civilian population of Gaza . Such an action constitutes a clear and unequivocal crime against humanity.
Prof. John Dugard, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories , called the Israeli government’s actions “serious war crimes” for which its political and military officials should be prosecuted and punished. The killing of more than 40 civilians this past week violates, he said, “the strict prohibition on collective punishment contained in the Fourth Geneva Convention. It also violates one of the basic principles of international humanitarian law that military action must distinguish between military targets and civilian targets.” Indeed, the very legal framework invoked by the Israeli government to carry out this illegal and immoral act – declaring Gaza a “hostile entity” within a “conflict short of war” – has absolutely no standing in international law.
We call on the Secretary General of the UN, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, to lead the Security Council to a decisive decision to end the siege on Gaza when it meets in emergency session on Wednesday.
We call on the governments of the world, and in particular the American government and the European Parliament, to censure Israel ’s actions and, in light of recent attempts to revive the diplomatic process, to end all attacks on civilians, including the continuing demolition of Palestinian homes at an alarming rate.
We call upon the Jews of the world in whose name the Israeli government purports to speak, and upon their rabbis and communal leaders in particular, to speak out unequivocally against this offense to the very moral core of Jewish values.
And we call upon the peoples of the world to let their officials and leaders know of their repudiation of this cruel, illegal and immoral act – an act that stands out in its cruelty even in an already oppressive Israeli Occupation.
We condemns attacks on all civilians, and we acknowledge the suffering of the residents of Sderot. Still, those attacks do not justify the massive disproportionality of Israeli sanctions over a million and half civilians of Gaza , in particular in light of Israel ’s oppressive 40 year occupation. Such violations of international law by a government are especially egregious and must be denounced and punished if the very system of human rights and international law is to be preserved.
The Israeli government’s decision to punish Gaza ’s civilian population, with all the human suffering that entails, constitutes State Terrorism against innocent people. Only when Israeli policy-makers are held accountable for their actions and international law upheld will a just peace be possible in the Middle East .
The Alternative Information Center * Bat Tsafon * Gush Shalom * The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) * Physicians for Human Rights * The Women’s Coalition for Peace
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Gaza into darkness- how far they can go?/ Gaza dans les tenebres- jusqu"ou vont-ils aller?
Blackout in besieged Gaza City
Darkness descended on Gaza as the second of the plant's two working turbines was switched off on the third day of a crippling Israeli blockade of the territory.
Sunday's shutdown has prompted fears of a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians said the worst affected could be the health sector, with hospitals failing to provide services in the absence of electricity.
"At least 800,000 people are now in darkness," Derar Abu Sissi, general director of the plant, said.
"The catastrophe will affect hospitals, medical clinics, water wells, houses, factories, all aspects of life."
Panic buying
However, Arye Mekel, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, said that the shutdown was unnecessary. "They have an interest in exaggerating," he said.
Israel says the blockade imposed on Gaza is in response to rockets being fired from the territory.
Your Views
How will Israel's incursion impact peace talks?
Send us your views
Mekel said that supplies of petrol used in cars, as well as diesel, had been halted but not fuel oil and cooking gas.
"The ball is in their court," he said. "If they stop the rockets today, everything would go back to normal."
Power outages have become commonplace in the Gaza Strip in recent months after Israel declared the area a "hostile entity" and began restricting fuel supplies.
Ahead of the shutdown, residents bought up batteries and candles, as well as basic foods like rice, flour and cooking oil. Bakeries stopped operating because they did not have power or flour.
UNRWA, the UN organisation supporting Palestinian refugees, warned the shortages would drastically affect hospitals, sewage treatment plants and water facilities.
"The logic of this defies basic humanitarian standards," Christopher Gunness, UNRWA spokesman, said.
Patients at risk
Dr Medhat Abbas, head of the crisis management unit at the health ministry in Gaza, said that electricity from generators would only be available for a few more hours at the Al-Nasser children's hospital.
In video
-Jacky Rowland reports on the impact of the Gaza blockade
- Nour Odeh reports on the pressure mounting on the Palestinian president
"These patients and these children are facing their destiny and they will die soon," he told Al Jazeera.
"They escaped from their poor houses were they have very cold weather ... The families brought them here to be saved in the incubator. Now the incubator and the nursery will be out of electricity.
"What sort of humanitarian law is this?"
He said the blackout would also deprive cancer and intensive care patients of their treatment as well as spoiling blood and vaccines that were being stored.
Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland in Gaza said that it was not only power generation that would be affected.
"It also means no fuel for the generators that fuel the water pumps - a lot of the water in Gaza is deep beneath the surface, and it has to be pumped to the surface - so no fuel can also mean no water."
'Collective punishment'
The UN has said Israel should not collectively punish Gaza's population while responding to security threats.
The organisation has criticised Israel's decision to close border crossings into Gaza, preventing aid deliveries to the 1.5 million people living in the territory, saying on Saturday that the move could provoke a humanitarian crisis.
Palestinians fear the power cut could be
disastrous for the health sector [AFP]
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, also urged an immediate end to violence in Gaza and Palestinian sniper and rocket attacks into Israel.
Zeev Boim, an Israeli cabinet minister, said that rather than condemning Israel's move, the UN should condemn Palestinian rocket attacks.
"I don't hear the UN's voice," he said.
Israel has continued to push ahead with its military offensive against Palestinian fighters in both Gaza and the West Bank in recent days.
Late on Sunday, an Israeli air raid killed at least one Palestinian and critically wounded another in the northern Gaza Strip. Hamas officials said that the target was a group of fighters who launched makeshift rockets into southern Israel.
Around 230 such rockets and mortars have been fired over the border since Tuesday, according to the Israeli military. At least 36 Gazans have been killed by Israeli fire in the past week.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
e blocus israélien est maintenu à Gaza, où les coupures d'électricité se multiplient
LEMONDE.FR avec AFP et Reuters | 20.01.08 | 16h01 • Mis à jour le 20.01.08 | 21h14
a bande de Gaza, placée sous blocus total par Israël depuis jeudi, était frappée par d'importantes coupures d'électricité, dimanche 20 janvier. Celles-ci risquent de s'aggraver avec l'arrêt de l'unique centrale du territoire, qui fournit 30 % de sa consommation. "Nous avons dû arrêter la centrale faute de fioul", a déclaré le directeur la centrale, Rafik Mliha, ajoutant que "cette fermeture va avoir de très graves conséquences pour les habitants, pour le fonctionnement des hôpitaux, des stations de pompage d'eau".
Les coupures de courant, fréquentes depuis qu'Israël a déclaré le territoire "entité hostile" après la prise de contrôle du Hamas, se sont empirées quand Tel-Aviv a cessé les fournitures de carburant, de produits alimentaires et humanitaires, en riposte aux tirs de roquettes palestiniennes. La plupart des quartiers de la ville de Gaza – où vivent plus de 400 000 personnes – sont privés de courant, alors que les stocks de gaz domestique et ceux de fuel étaient déjà épuisés.
M. ABBAS DEMANDE LA FIN DU BLOCUS
Des responsables du Hamas ont indiqué qu'après l'arrêt de la centrale, la ville de Gaza sera plongée dans le noir. Les habitants ont déjà commencé à stocker des produits de première nécessité dans le calme. Le ministre de la santé du territoire a mis en garde contre les conséquences d'une telle situation. "Nous sommes obligés soit de débrancher les salles d'opération, soit de couper l'électricité dans les maternités", a-t-il notamment affirmé.
Le président palestinien Mahmoud Abbas "a appelé le gouvernement israélien à lever immédiatement le bouclage (...) pour faciliter la vie des innocents et permettre aux hôpitaux, qui font face à une crise mettant des vies en danger, de fonctionner", selon son porte-parole, Nabil Abou Roudeina, qui ajoute que M. Abbas a appelé à une "réunion spéciale" du Conseil des ministres de la Ligue arabe et pourrait saisir le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU dans les prochaines heures.
Selon des chiffres fournis par des responsables palestiniens et israéliens, la bande de Gaza consomme 200 mégawatts, dont 120 sont directement fournis par Israël, 17 proviennent d'Egypte et 65 sont produits par la centrale locale. "C'est un système très fragile, explique Sari Bashi de l'ONG israélienne Gisha, qui souffre depuis plusieurs mois en raison du bouclage. Chaque nouveau coup a des effets sur les hôpitaux, sur l'eau ainsi que les habitations".
"PUNITION COLLECTIVE"
Le gouvernement israélien a décidé de maintenir le blocus sur le territoire lors d'une réunion des ministres, dimanche. "Nous rendons plus difficile la vie quotidienne à Gaza, nous visons des éléments terroristes et nous essayons de montrer à la communauté internationale que nous épuisons toutes les options avant de décider d'une vaste opération", a affirmé le ministre de la défense israélien, Ehoud Barak.
La décision des autorités israéliennes intervient alors que les appels à reprendre les approvisionnements, pour éviter une crise humanitaire, se sont multipliés ces derniers jours. Parmi eux, celui de l'Unrwa, l'agence de l'ONU pour les réfugiés à Gaza, qui a mis en garde contre contre les "effets dévastateurs" de la poursuite du blocus. "Priver les gens de choses fondamentales comme l'eau revient à les priver de la dignité humaine. Il est difficile de comprendre la logique qui consiste à faire souffrir des centaines de milliers de personnes pour rien", a lancé son porte-parole, Christopher Gunness. Le secrétaire général adjoint de l'ONU aux affaires humanitaires, John Holmes, a pour sa part dénoncé une "punition collective visant la population de Gaza".
Samedi, au moins deux membres du Hamas ont été tués au cours d'un raid aérien israélien dans le nord de la ville de Gaza, portant à 36 le nombre de Palestiniens tués depuis le 15 janvier.
Darkness descended on Gaza as the second of the plant's two working turbines was switched off on the third day of a crippling Israeli blockade of the territory.
Sunday's shutdown has prompted fears of a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians said the worst affected could be the health sector, with hospitals failing to provide services in the absence of electricity.
"At least 800,000 people are now in darkness," Derar Abu Sissi, general director of the plant, said.
"The catastrophe will affect hospitals, medical clinics, water wells, houses, factories, all aspects of life."
Panic buying
However, Arye Mekel, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, said that the shutdown was unnecessary. "They have an interest in exaggerating," he said.
Israel says the blockade imposed on Gaza is in response to rockets being fired from the territory.
Your Views
How will Israel's incursion impact peace talks?
Send us your views
Mekel said that supplies of petrol used in cars, as well as diesel, had been halted but not fuel oil and cooking gas.
"The ball is in their court," he said. "If they stop the rockets today, everything would go back to normal."
Power outages have become commonplace in the Gaza Strip in recent months after Israel declared the area a "hostile entity" and began restricting fuel supplies.
Ahead of the shutdown, residents bought up batteries and candles, as well as basic foods like rice, flour and cooking oil. Bakeries stopped operating because they did not have power or flour.
UNRWA, the UN organisation supporting Palestinian refugees, warned the shortages would drastically affect hospitals, sewage treatment plants and water facilities.
"The logic of this defies basic humanitarian standards," Christopher Gunness, UNRWA spokesman, said.
Patients at risk
Dr Medhat Abbas, head of the crisis management unit at the health ministry in Gaza, said that electricity from generators would only be available for a few more hours at the Al-Nasser children's hospital.
In video
-Jacky Rowland reports on the impact of the Gaza blockade
- Nour Odeh reports on the pressure mounting on the Palestinian president
"These patients and these children are facing their destiny and they will die soon," he told Al Jazeera.
"They escaped from their poor houses were they have very cold weather ... The families brought them here to be saved in the incubator. Now the incubator and the nursery will be out of electricity.
"What sort of humanitarian law is this?"
He said the blackout would also deprive cancer and intensive care patients of their treatment as well as spoiling blood and vaccines that were being stored.
Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland in Gaza said that it was not only power generation that would be affected.
"It also means no fuel for the generators that fuel the water pumps - a lot of the water in Gaza is deep beneath the surface, and it has to be pumped to the surface - so no fuel can also mean no water."
'Collective punishment'
The UN has said Israel should not collectively punish Gaza's population while responding to security threats.
The organisation has criticised Israel's decision to close border crossings into Gaza, preventing aid deliveries to the 1.5 million people living in the territory, saying on Saturday that the move could provoke a humanitarian crisis.
Palestinians fear the power cut could be
disastrous for the health sector [AFP]
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, also urged an immediate end to violence in Gaza and Palestinian sniper and rocket attacks into Israel.
Zeev Boim, an Israeli cabinet minister, said that rather than condemning Israel's move, the UN should condemn Palestinian rocket attacks.
"I don't hear the UN's voice," he said.
Israel has continued to push ahead with its military offensive against Palestinian fighters in both Gaza and the West Bank in recent days.
Late on Sunday, an Israeli air raid killed at least one Palestinian and critically wounded another in the northern Gaza Strip. Hamas officials said that the target was a group of fighters who launched makeshift rockets into southern Israel.
Around 230 such rockets and mortars have been fired over the border since Tuesday, according to the Israeli military. At least 36 Gazans have been killed by Israeli fire in the past week.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
e blocus israélien est maintenu à Gaza, où les coupures d'électricité se multiplient
LEMONDE.FR avec AFP et Reuters | 20.01.08 | 16h01 • Mis à jour le 20.01.08 | 21h14
a bande de Gaza, placée sous blocus total par Israël depuis jeudi, était frappée par d'importantes coupures d'électricité, dimanche 20 janvier. Celles-ci risquent de s'aggraver avec l'arrêt de l'unique centrale du territoire, qui fournit 30 % de sa consommation. "Nous avons dû arrêter la centrale faute de fioul", a déclaré le directeur la centrale, Rafik Mliha, ajoutant que "cette fermeture va avoir de très graves conséquences pour les habitants, pour le fonctionnement des hôpitaux, des stations de pompage d'eau".
Les coupures de courant, fréquentes depuis qu'Israël a déclaré le territoire "entité hostile" après la prise de contrôle du Hamas, se sont empirées quand Tel-Aviv a cessé les fournitures de carburant, de produits alimentaires et humanitaires, en riposte aux tirs de roquettes palestiniennes. La plupart des quartiers de la ville de Gaza – où vivent plus de 400 000 personnes – sont privés de courant, alors que les stocks de gaz domestique et ceux de fuel étaient déjà épuisés.
M. ABBAS DEMANDE LA FIN DU BLOCUS
Des responsables du Hamas ont indiqué qu'après l'arrêt de la centrale, la ville de Gaza sera plongée dans le noir. Les habitants ont déjà commencé à stocker des produits de première nécessité dans le calme. Le ministre de la santé du territoire a mis en garde contre les conséquences d'une telle situation. "Nous sommes obligés soit de débrancher les salles d'opération, soit de couper l'électricité dans les maternités", a-t-il notamment affirmé.
Le président palestinien Mahmoud Abbas "a appelé le gouvernement israélien à lever immédiatement le bouclage (...) pour faciliter la vie des innocents et permettre aux hôpitaux, qui font face à une crise mettant des vies en danger, de fonctionner", selon son porte-parole, Nabil Abou Roudeina, qui ajoute que M. Abbas a appelé à une "réunion spéciale" du Conseil des ministres de la Ligue arabe et pourrait saisir le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU dans les prochaines heures.
Selon des chiffres fournis par des responsables palestiniens et israéliens, la bande de Gaza consomme 200 mégawatts, dont 120 sont directement fournis par Israël, 17 proviennent d'Egypte et 65 sont produits par la centrale locale. "C'est un système très fragile, explique Sari Bashi de l'ONG israélienne Gisha, qui souffre depuis plusieurs mois en raison du bouclage. Chaque nouveau coup a des effets sur les hôpitaux, sur l'eau ainsi que les habitations".
"PUNITION COLLECTIVE"
Le gouvernement israélien a décidé de maintenir le blocus sur le territoire lors d'une réunion des ministres, dimanche. "Nous rendons plus difficile la vie quotidienne à Gaza, nous visons des éléments terroristes et nous essayons de montrer à la communauté internationale que nous épuisons toutes les options avant de décider d'une vaste opération", a affirmé le ministre de la défense israélien, Ehoud Barak.
La décision des autorités israéliennes intervient alors que les appels à reprendre les approvisionnements, pour éviter une crise humanitaire, se sont multipliés ces derniers jours. Parmi eux, celui de l'Unrwa, l'agence de l'ONU pour les réfugiés à Gaza, qui a mis en garde contre contre les "effets dévastateurs" de la poursuite du blocus. "Priver les gens de choses fondamentales comme l'eau revient à les priver de la dignité humaine. Il est difficile de comprendre la logique qui consiste à faire souffrir des centaines de milliers de personnes pour rien", a lancé son porte-parole, Christopher Gunness. Le secrétaire général adjoint de l'ONU aux affaires humanitaires, John Holmes, a pour sa part dénoncé une "punition collective visant la population de Gaza".
Samedi, au moins deux membres du Hamas ont été tués au cours d'un raid aérien israélien dans le nord de la ville de Gaza, portant à 36 le nombre de Palestiniens tués depuis le 15 janvier.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Demonstration against Bush's visit; in Jerusalem
(c) Anne Paq/ Activesills.org, Jerusalem, 9 January 2008.
See also protest in Ramallah
During Bush's visit to Ramallah
(c) Anne Paq/ Activesills.org, Ramallah, 10 January 2008.
Ramallah transformed into a ghost town.
See text below
During Bush's visit to the West Bank
(c) Anne Paq/ Activesills.org, Ramallah and Qalandia checkpoint, 10 January 2008.
See text below
Maan news-
Bush responded flippantly to a question about the removal of Israeli checkpoints that carve up the territory of the West Bank, saying he was able to pass through the checkpoints in his motorcade without being stopped. "I don't think it's like that for the average citizen," he quipped.
Demonstration against Bush's visit violently repressed by Palestinian Authority
(c) Anne Paq/ Activesills.org, Ramallah, 10 January 2008.
See text below
Demonstration against Bush's visit violently repressed by Palestinian Authority
(c) Anne Paq/ Activesills.org, Ramallah, 10 January 2008.
See text below
Demonstration against Bush's visit violently repressed by Palestinian Authority
(c) Anne Paq/ Activesills.org, Ramallah, 10 January 2008.
See text below
Demonstration against Bush's visit violently repressed by Palestinian Authority
(c) Anne Paq/ Activesills.org, Ramallah, 10 January 2008.
See text below
The behind the scenes of Bush’s visit or How I would like to thank Mister Bush for opening my eyes.
(c) Anne Paq/ Activestills.org, Ramallah, 10 January 2008
So Bush came to Ramallah, and of course the city was upside down.The Palestinian Authority wanted to show that they were up to the task of handling the security.
I managed to get a press pass and I was cynical but curious to see how the big show will go on. All the photographers and journalists were told to come at 6am at a certain location so that they could be taken all together to the Muquata.
I did not want to play this game. I wanted to show the “behind the scenes” of the visit and to feel the atmosphere of the streets. I wanted to show the absurdity of it all. The big circus that the PA agreed to play. I was also told that there would be some demonstrations and I did not want to miss them.
Early morning, I was waken up by the noise of the helicopters and the sirens. Was Ramallah attacked? Then I remembered that we were under siege because the visit of George W. Bush. As I moved around the city, I discovered that the streets were empy and the impression of a ghost town was reinforced by the presence of a heavy fog.
From Al Manara, the center of the city, two streets were closed. Some Palestinian Policemen were standing with their brand new uniforms; preventing people to go further. I argued with them that I had a press card and that I was on the list of the American Consulate, according to which I was allowed to get inside the Muquata. But they told me that it was not possible and that the whole area was now closed. I tried to go through the back streets, and soon faced some soldiers with very impressive army gear. For one moment i asked myself if i was confronted with Palestinians, Americans or Israeli soldiers. But they were Palestinians. Again they told me to go. I tried another road, in vain. I asked the Palestinian soldiers at what time they came and they answered me at 3 o’clock. Then I decided to go to a Palestinian friend’s house to watch AlJazeera Live. I asked my friend what she would tell Bush if she could talk to him and she answered: “Why you come here, killer?”.
Then we watched Bush at the press conference. My friend was not listening too much. As a sign said in the demonstration in Jerusalem the night before “No more Bushit”. There was an ironic superposition of titles in AlJazerra as the headlines appeared. You have Bush telling “Peace is possible” while at the same time the headline said “Two civilians killed in Gaza by Israeli Airstike”. Then with arrogance, he made joke about the checkpoint, and how he did not have to wait. And I remember yesterday when i went to Jerusalem and how we got stuck inside and had to wait in the freezing cold that the soldiers finally decided to let us go. I also remember the line of workers at Bethlehem checkpoint who queue up as early as 4am. How did he dare joking about it? Let him put a kaffieh and try to travel from Ramallah to Bethlehem like a Palestinian. He would not bear one trip.
Then I had enough of the press conference and I moved to AlManara as there was supposed to have a demonstration there and indeed they were people peacefully handling banners with slogans such as “Our freedom is not for sale”; “Remove all settlements”, “It is the occupation stupid”; and “Gaza in on our mind”. Soon the Palestinian police came and began to shout at people not to stand on the road. Then they began to push and attempted to prevent photographers to do their work. A Palestinian photographer was arrested. I could not believe it. I was also shout at but I continued to move around to take pictures.
Soon we heard about a demonstration next to the Orthodox club so we went there, only to find more police and even special Palestinian security forces.
The police was blocking the street to prevent people to join the demonstrators. I argued that I was doing my job and that they had to let me pass but they would not. So with a few friends we had to climb some fences and ran towards the demonstration, only to find again more Palestinian forces ready to crush the demonstration.
The demonstrators include Palestinians from different factions and movements, and many women in the front row. Suddenly the Palestinian forces attacked the demonstrators with gas and sticks; beaten up the demonstrators, including the women who were numerous. Photographers and journalists were also attacked. I found myself taking the same type of pictures that I am taking at demonstrations against the Wall, only this time there were Palestinians against Palestinians. The Palestinian authority used the same tactics as the Israeli soldiers. The pushing, crushing, the gas. They even had some special forces in civilian clothes to identify the most active demonstrators.
All expression of dissent has to be crushed so that the plan can goes ahead.
As with Israeli soldiers, it was quite clear that some Palestinians were not at ease with beating up demonstrators. Some other were on the contrary very aggressive. Suddenly one policeman attacked one young Palestinian with a stick and broke his nose. Some policemen also angrily confiscated some signs against the occupation and tore them down into pieces. The crowd continued to shout “Bush and CIA out!”. The Palestinian film-maker Mohammad Alatar was also arrested; and another camera was taken from a Palestinian photographer.
All along I was thinking, “what a sad day for Palestine”. After almost two hours of confrontation, the demonstration finished. We all went away a little shocked. But i think we should face it and not pretend that this has not happened. The PA is acting more and more as a security proxi to the benefit of the Israelis, with methods comparable to the occupier. They learned well but we have also to draw the lessons from this episode. We; internationals working in Palestine, for what are we fighting for? Which Palestine? If we are talking about a pseudo Palestinian state ran by the methods used by the PA today, and for the service of t Israeli and US interests and the Palestinian elite; then this is not a worthy fight. I will not fight for a fateh- state. We internationals have the responsability to denounciate this dark side of the Palestinian moon. The Palestinian Authority must go. A revolution has to start both in Palestine and in Israel, rejecting the master plan well designed by Bush and Olmert; well implemented by the PA. There are some alternatives, and strong voices on both sides that are more and more advocating the vision for a one state solution. We internationals involved in the struggle should clearly position ourselves.
I would like to thank Mister Bush to have make me open my eyes on the true face of the PA. Now it appears clear that the struggle has different fronts. If we ignore one of them; we will loose it all.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
The Bush diplomatic circus began
9 january back to business with Bush's visit....such a big joke really. Since a few days, the security is everywhere. The PA security forces are making their show. For what?
Bush has done nothing but blindly supporting Israel. His words about a Palestinian state cannot be taken seriously; anybody who has come to visit Palestine knows that the Israeli and American policies have killed the possibility of a viable Palestinian state.
Bush blatantly discards international law. Today he declared that the outposts that have not been authorized by the Israeli government have to go....is it a joke? ALL THE SETTLEMENTS in the West Bank are ILLEGAL! To remove a few outposts is nothing and should not been seen as a painful compromise for Israel, but as a smokescreen.
By the way; in the press conference, Olmert dared to declare that Israel is committed to the road map! In the meantime, TODAY, some settlers put a new oupost in Hebron.
The people here have all the reasons to not welcome Bush, actually there was a demonstration in Jerusalem where was also denounciated the siege of Gaza. The last days the electricity has been cut off in Gaza for eight hours, and we are in themiddle of the Winter. At the same time, Bush is praising Israel. Shame on Bush; and all his supporters.Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Bush diplomatic circus
From the Jerusalem Post
Six youths were arrested Monday night in Jerusalem as they were hanging anti-Bush posters ahead of the American president's visit.
The posters, authored by the "National Jewish Front"
The posters depict Bush, Olmert and Peres wearing Palestinian kaffiyehs, with a banner running "accomplices to terror".
The youths told police that they were paid to hang the posters by extreme right-wing activist Itamar Ben Gvir, of the National Jewish Front.
Ben Gvir was also detained for questioning later in the day. He admitted to having printed the posters, adding that he would continue to do so as it was perfectly within the limits of the law.
He also said police should learn that "free speech is not just for lefties."
Police were preparing Tuesday for a string of protests, by both left and right, during the US president's visit. Right-wing activists were expected to try and create a "human chain" around the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, while left-wing activists were planning to hold a protest in front of the American Consulate in Jerusalem.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
In 2008, the struggle continues/ en 2008, la lutte continue
(c) Anne Paq/ Activestills; Um Salamona.
Manif contre le Mur; un an de lutte a Um Salamuna, Vendredi 4 Janvier 2008.
Demonstration against the Wall, in Um Salamuna; marking the year anniversary of the start of the demonstrations in the village.
Friday, January 04, 2008
reject refuse resist for 2008.
(c) Anne Paq/activestills.org
Manifestations a Bethleem et dans la colonie de Har Homa. en 2008, la lutte continue. faisons face aux injustices et à nos peurs les plus profondes. combattons les.
Demonstrations in Bethlehem and in Har Homa settlement. in 2008, the struggle continue. let us face the injustices and our more profound fears. let's fight them.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Bethlehem checkpoint, 4am (English subtitles)
This is a 9 mn film that i supervised on the Palestinian workers going through Bethleem checkpoint everyday, from 4 am onwards. It was filmed by a Palestinian team from AlRowwad projects' Images for Life (www.imagesforlifeonline.com).
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Bethlehem checkpoint, 4am (with French subtitles)
version française. film de 9 mn que j'ai supervisé sur ce que doivent endurer les travailleurs Palestiniens au checkpoint de Bethleem tous les matins afin de se rendre à leur travail à Jérusalem
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
colonies grow/ les colonies s'etendent
(c) Anne Paq/activestills.org
Expansion continue de la colonie de Har Homa/ Continuous expansion of Har Homa settlement.
12 Dec 2007.
Hier des photographies de la destruction d'une maison palestinienne dans la vieille ville de Jerusalem... aujourd'hui des photos de la construction de nouvelles habitations dans la colonie de Har Homa; pres de Bethleem. voila ce qui se passe sur le terrain.
Yesterday some photographs of the destruction of a Palestinian house in the Old city of Jerusalem...today some photographs of the construction of new housing in Har Homa settlement, near Bethlehem. this is what is happening on the ground.
Har Homa is not in Jerusalem - By J.R. Almoslino
Date: 11 / 12 / 2007 Time: 18:11 published in Maan news
Date: 11 / 12 / 2007 Time: 18:11 published in Maan news
Har Homa is not in Jerusalem.Israel announced a plan last week to build 307 new housing units in what most international media are calling "a Jewish neighborhood of East Jerusalem."Har Homa's white apartment blocs are draped on a hillside overlooking the city of Bethlehem, where I work. Like other West Bank settlements, it was erected on high ground, with the intention of intimidating the Palestinian population below. Spatially speaking, Har Homa is no more in Jerusalem than Bethehem itself is.The ongoing expansion of Har Homa has been evident to Palestinians in Bethlehem long before it aroused the "concern" of officials in Washington and Brussels. Every day the cranes swivel and the bulldozers move the earth, all in plain view on the adjacent hillside. New buildings seem to materialize before our eyes.In the lived reality of Bethlehem's residents, Har Homa is an eyesore, a sign of the weakness of the international system and of the collapse of past peace talks. It disfigures the landscape and serves as a perpetual representation of defeat. Har Homa's Israeli residents are a mystery. Physically they are our neighbors, but due to the segregation of Israelis and Palestinians, they might as well live on Neptune.Calling Har Homa a "Jewish neighborhood of East Jerusalem" gives the reader the sense that the settlement is somehow a natural, historic, and integral part of the city of Jerusalem. This is a fantasy.Har Homa was first constructed amid international outcry in 1997. It is built within the artificially-expanded municipal boundaries of Jerusalem. After Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem in June 1967, it enlarged these boundaries. Just two weeks after the end of the war, the borders of East Jerusalem bulged to ten times its pre-occupation size, so that they now abut the towns of Bethlehem to the south and Ramallah to the north.The United Nations recognizes East Jerusalem as occupied territory, and therefore rejects Israeli sovereignty over the area. In response to the expansion of Jerusalem's borders, the United Nations Security Council ruled the move "invalid" in resolution 252 of 1968.In July 1980 the Israeli government reaffirmed its de facto annexation of this area through the enactment of the Basic Law on Jerusalem. In August 1980 the Security Council, in Resolution 478, declared that "all legislative and administrative measures taken by Israel, the occupying power, which have altered or purport to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and, in particular, the recent 'Basic Law' on Jerusalem, are null and void and must be rescinded forthwith."Official United States policy also does not recognize Israeli authority in East Jerusalem. In the 1991 Letter of Assurances to the Palestinians, part of the official record of the Madrid Peace Conference, the United States said, "We do not recognize Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem or the extension of its municipal boundaries."Israel's strategy, then, has been to use the construction of settlements to shape political space. The aim has always been to establish "facts on the ground" that would supplant and defy international norms of what is just and legal. Violence, not spatial reality, is what made the area known to Palestinians as Jebel Abu Ghneim, now Har Homa, "part of East Jerusalem."The violence of Israel's establishment and its subsequent conquests will have inevitably shaped any future Palestinian state. Replacing violence with justice is not possible under the present circumstances, but it is nonetheless important to insist on the illegality of settlements like Har Homa. Ultimately, in a possible two-state resolution to the conflict, it is the "mainstream" settler communities around Jerusalem that will become the most difficult. Israelis know that the militant outposts deep in the West Bank must be dismantled, but this understanding is not the case with the larger, more entrenched colonies along the western "seam zone."The use of concrete buildings, as much as the use of terminology, to shape the hegemonic conception of where Israel's boundaries in fact lie, is crucial here. If the 1967 borders, even in their arbitrariness, are to be the terms of reference, let us be relentless in our insistence on them.
w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m
Last update - 11:07 12/12/2007
From Annapolis to Har Homa
By Haaretz Editorial*
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice demanded explanations from her Israeli counterpart, Tzipi Livni, last week about the plan to build another 300 apartments in the Har Homa neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Rice did not make do with posing a question to Livni; she hastened to go public with the Bush Administration's objections to the plan. Administration spokespeople normally oppose any moves liable to damage Israeli-Palestinian final-status negotiations - namely, the settlements. But this time, Rice also expressed fear that the construction in Har Homa would disrupt the Annapolis process. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas claim to be racing toward George W. Bush's goal - concluding the negotiations and establishing a Palestinian state within a year - but the talks are still at the takeoff stage, and the presumption that the process is going quickly is threatening to crash into Har Homa. Israel has no good answer to the American objections. An internal matter? Har Homa is within Jerusalem's municipal boundaries and under Israeli sovereignty? A bureaucratic issue? An Israel Lands Administration tender whose turn had come to be published? These claims are ridiculous. No one in the world recognizes Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem. It is enough to examine the official maps published by the U.S. State Department and the CIA: Everything beyond the lines Israel held on June 4, 1967, is occupied territory. That is true for the Golan Heights, and it is true for the new neighborhoods Israel built in Jerusalem. Israel's unilateral steps are a game of make-believe that obligate nobody but itself - and especially not the world's greatest power, which is also the only country that gives Israel vital military and diplomatic assistance. Nor can Israel rely on Bush's April 2004 letter to former prime minister Ariel Sharon in which the U.S. president said the reality created by settlements in the territories must be taken into account. Bush's declaration was not a commitment to refrain from evacuating settlements, does not bind his successors and has even been demonstratively omitted from other diplomatic documents, including an almost identical letter he sent at the same time to King Abdullah of Jordan. In any case, anything that has happened in the three and a half years since then is surely not covered by the Bush declaration. It is no surprise that Israel's move has been interpreted as a provocation, or at best stupidity, coming as it does on the threshold of a fateful diplomatic breakthrough that Israel is ostensibly happy to participate in, not one it has been dragged to. The old tricks - like expanding the settlements' external boundaries, building new settlements under the guise of neighborhoods of existing settlements or, the most beloved excuse of all, "natural growth" - deceive nobody. They merely provide the Palestinians with ammunition for their propaganda, help Hamas to claim that Olmert is humiliating Abbas and push Bush and Rice into taking a stand against Israel. The Annapolis festivities have ended, and the test will be in the dull implementation. Thus far, not a single outpost has been evacuated, not the slightest diplomatic progress has been made, and Israel is retreating into the worst of all possible worlds - subject to terror attacks that the Palestinians are still not really trying to restrain, yet putting itself, with its own hands, on the diplomatic defensive. At this rate, and with this sagacity, the Annapolis conference will prove no more than a barren footnote.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
house demolition in Jerusalem/ demolition de maison à Jerusalem
(c) Anne Paq/activestills.org. Apres la demolition d'une maison palestinienne,
After the demolition of a Palestinian home in the old city of Jerusalem.
“J’ai perdu ma maison et ils ont aussi pris mes fils, que me reste-il?”
Ce matin une maison ; dans laquelle résidait une famille palestinienne de 13 personnes a été démolie dans la vieille ville de Jérusalem. Deux jeunes hommes de la famille ont été également battus et arrêtés.
C’est la huitième maison démolie dans la municipalité de Jérusalem depuis Annapolis. Les Palestiniens ne sont jamais autorisés à construire dans la vieille ville ; ils ne peuvent pas obtenir des permis de construire bien qu’ils soient propriétaires et qu’ils payent leurs impôts municipaux.
Ce matin une maison ; dans laquelle résidait une famille palestinienne de 13 personnes a été démolie dans la vieille ville de Jérusalem. Deux jeunes hommes de la famille ont été également battus et arrêtés.
C’est la huitième maison démolie dans la municipalité de Jérusalem depuis Annapolis. Les Palestiniens ne sont jamais autorisés à construire dans la vieille ville ; ils ne peuvent pas obtenir des permis de construire bien qu’ils soient propriétaires et qu’ils payent leurs impôts municipaux.
“I lost my house and they also took my tow sons. What is left?”
This morning a house; home of family of 13 Palestinians was demolished in the Old City of Jerusalem. Two young men of the family have been beaten and arrested.
It is the 8th home to be demolished by the municipality since Annapolis. Palestinians are never allowed to build in the Old City, so they never get buildings permits, even though they own the land, and pay their municipal rates and taxes on that land.
This morning a house; home of family of 13 Palestinians was demolished in the Old City of Jerusalem. Two young men of the family have been beaten and arrested.
It is the 8th home to be demolished by the municipality since Annapolis. Palestinians are never allowed to build in the Old City, so they never get buildings permits, even though they own the land, and pay their municipal rates and taxes on that land.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Civil rights group: Israel has reached new heights of racism
Last update - 10:27 09/12/2007
By Yuval Yoaz and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Association for Civil Rights
Racism against Israel's Arab citizens has dramatically increased in the past year, including a 26 percent rise in anti-Arab incidents, according to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel's annual report. Author Sami Michael, the association's president, said upon the release of the report that racism was so rife it was damaging civil liberty in Israel. "Israeli society is reaching new heights of racism that damages freedom of expression and privacy," Michael said.
The publication coincides with Human Rights Week, which begins Sunday. "We are a society under supervision under a democratic regime whose institutions are being undermined and which confers a different status to residents in the center of the country and in the periphery," Michael said. The number of Jews expressing feelings of hatred toward Arabs has doubled, the report stated. According to the June 2007 Democracy Index of the Israel Democracy Institute, for example, only half the public believes that Jews and Arabs must have full equal rights. Among Jewish respondents, 55 percent support the idea that the state should encourage Arab emigration from Israel and 78 percent oppose the inclusion of Arab political parties in the government. According to a Haifa University study, 74 percent of Jewish youths in Israel think that Arabs are "unclean." The ACRI says that bills introduced in the Knesset contribute to delegitimize the country's Arab citizens, such as ones that would link the right to vote and receive state allowances to military or national service. They also include bills that require ministers and MKs to swear allegiance to a Jewish state and those that set aside 13 percent of all state lands owned by the Jewish National Fund for Jews only. "Arab citizens are frequently subject to ridicule at the airports," the report states. It says that Arab citizens "are subject to 'racial profiling' that classifies them as a security threat. The government also threatens the freedom of expression of Arab journalists by brandishing the whip of economic boycott and ending the publication of government announcements in newspapers that criticize its policy."
Hadash Chairman MK Mohammad Barakeh said that the report "did not take us by surprise and neither should anyone be surprised by it. Its results are the natural consequence of a racist campaign led by political and military leaders, as well as the result of the anti-Arab racist policies implemented by consecutive governments."
By Yuval Yoaz and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Association for Civil Rights
Racism against Israel's Arab citizens has dramatically increased in the past year, including a 26 percent rise in anti-Arab incidents, according to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel's annual report. Author Sami Michael, the association's president, said upon the release of the report that racism was so rife it was damaging civil liberty in Israel. "Israeli society is reaching new heights of racism that damages freedom of expression and privacy," Michael said.
The publication coincides with Human Rights Week, which begins Sunday. "We are a society under supervision under a democratic regime whose institutions are being undermined and which confers a different status to residents in the center of the country and in the periphery," Michael said. The number of Jews expressing feelings of hatred toward Arabs has doubled, the report stated. According to the June 2007 Democracy Index of the Israel Democracy Institute, for example, only half the public believes that Jews and Arabs must have full equal rights. Among Jewish respondents, 55 percent support the idea that the state should encourage Arab emigration from Israel and 78 percent oppose the inclusion of Arab political parties in the government. According to a Haifa University study, 74 percent of Jewish youths in Israel think that Arabs are "unclean." The ACRI says that bills introduced in the Knesset contribute to delegitimize the country's Arab citizens, such as ones that would link the right to vote and receive state allowances to military or national service. They also include bills that require ministers and MKs to swear allegiance to a Jewish state and those that set aside 13 percent of all state lands owned by the Jewish National Fund for Jews only. "Arab citizens are frequently subject to ridicule at the airports," the report states. It says that Arab citizens "are subject to 'racial profiling' that classifies them as a security threat. The government also threatens the freedom of expression of Arab journalists by brandishing the whip of economic boycott and ending the publication of government announcements in newspapers that criticize its policy."
Hadash Chairman MK Mohammad Barakeh said that the report "did not take us by surprise and neither should anyone be surprised by it. Its results are the natural consequence of a racist campaign led by political and military leaders, as well as the result of the anti-Arab racist policies implemented by consecutive governments."
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
is this the model of state Abbas wants to propose?!
i am angry today to read this news.
Ghassan stands as a true example of independent Palestinian journalist, he was beaten up, as well as demonstrators in Bethlehem and in Ramallah, and his new camera was broken.
Is this the Palestinian state Abbas wants to build for the Palestinians?
PA forces violently disperse anti-Annapolis demonstration in Bethlehem, detaining 50 Palestinians
Date: 27 / 11 / 2007 Time: 16:58
Bethlehem – Ma'an – More than fifty Palestinian protesters were seized violently by Palestinian security forces at a demonstration against the international meeting in Annapolis in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Tuesday, eyewitnesses said.Witnesses said Palestinian police used water cannons and beat demonstrators with clubs and rifle butts. More than 300 Palestinians turned out in defiance of a ban on public demonstrations issued by the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) for the day of the conference. Demonstrators carried signs expressing opposition to the US-backed conference and demanding the right of return for Palestinian refugees.PA forces severely beat Palestinian journalist Ghassan Bannoura, breaking his camera before detaining him, witnesses said. Bannoura was later hosptialized with a broken arm and bruises on his back and legs. Bannoura said police and civilian Fatah supporters armed with clubs beat him several times and held a gun to his head, threatening to kill him."As journalists we are afraid," said one Palestinian reporter who witnessed the brutality, "We could not even open our cameras … I felt today like I was in Gaza." He was referring to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, where several high-profile demonstrations have been suppressed by security forces."What we saw today was fascist," said the reporter, who asked not to have his identity revealed.
Ghassan stands as a true example of independent Palestinian journalist, he was beaten up, as well as demonstrators in Bethlehem and in Ramallah, and his new camera was broken.
Is this the Palestinian state Abbas wants to build for the Palestinians?
PA forces violently disperse anti-Annapolis demonstration in Bethlehem, detaining 50 Palestinians
Date: 27 / 11 / 2007 Time: 16:58
Bethlehem – Ma'an – More than fifty Palestinian protesters were seized violently by Palestinian security forces at a demonstration against the international meeting in Annapolis in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Tuesday, eyewitnesses said.Witnesses said Palestinian police used water cannons and beat demonstrators with clubs and rifle butts. More than 300 Palestinians turned out in defiance of a ban on public demonstrations issued by the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) for the day of the conference. Demonstrators carried signs expressing opposition to the US-backed conference and demanding the right of return for Palestinian refugees.PA forces severely beat Palestinian journalist Ghassan Bannoura, breaking his camera before detaining him, witnesses said. Bannoura was later hosptialized with a broken arm and bruises on his back and legs. Bannoura said police and civilian Fatah supporters armed with clubs beat him several times and held a gun to his head, threatening to kill him."As journalists we are afraid," said one Palestinian reporter who witnessed the brutality, "We could not even open our cameras … I felt today like I was in Gaza." He was referring to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, where several high-profile demonstrations have been suppressed by security forces."What we saw today was fascist," said the reporter, who asked not to have his identity revealed.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
before the summit
w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m
Last update - 10:31 18/11/2007
What do you mean when you say 'no'?
By Gideon LevyA festive day for peace: Israel is planning to announce a freeze on construction in the settlements as compensation for refusing to discuss the core issues. The Palestinians are ecstatic at all the good-will gestures Israel is throwing their way. First came the release of prisoners, now a freeze on construction, and the prime minister has already spoken with the settler leaders and informed them of the decision. They said it was a "difficult meeting," as it always is, winking at each other deviously. Undoubtedly, Israel wants peace. But a tiny detail seems to have been forgotten: Israel has signed a series of binding agreements to freeze settlement activity, which it never intended to fulfill. Of the 40 years of occupation, only during three has construction been stopped despite all the agreements and promises to do so. There is no reason to believe that Israel will behave differently this time. Of all Israel's iniquities in the occupied territories - the brutality, the assassinations, the siege, the hunger, the blackouts, the checkpoints and the mass arrests - nothing serves as witness to its real intentions than the settlements. Certainly for the future. Every home built in the territories, every light pole and every road are like a thousand witnesses: Israel does not want peace; Israel wants occupation. Whoever is serious about peace and a Palestinian state does not put up even a shed. From Oslo through Camp David and on to the road map, Israel has not put an end to the most criminal enterprise in its history. A short memory refresher: In article 7 of the Oslo Accords, Israel promised that "no party would undertake unilateral steps to alter the situation on the ground, prior to the completion of negotiations for the final status." That really made an impression on Israel. During the 10 years that followed, the number of settlers doubled. What about the heroic peace efforts of Ehud Barak as prime minister? During the 18 months of his government, Israel began the construction of 6,045 residential units in the territories. And why did Israel sign up to the road map two years later? "The government of Israel will freeze all its settlement activities, in accordance with the Mitchell report, except for natural growth in the settlements." And what happened in practice? Accusations that the Palestinians are not implementing the agreements, and a boatload of new settlers. This was also the case in 2005, another major "year of peace": the disengagement. And what did Israel do in its own backyard? Another 12,000 new settlers. This terrible enterprise, whose purpose is to foil any chance for peace, is also a criminal enterprise. According to Peace Now, based on Civil Administration data that have been kept hidden for years, about 40 percent of the settlements were built on privately owned land of Palestinians helpless to safeguard what is in most cases their sole property that was robbed in broad daylight by an occupying state. This took place years after the Supreme Court ruled in 1979 that it is illegal to build on private Palestinian land. Indeed, while Israel is debating whether it is a state of laws, whether the prime minister was given a discount for the house on Cremieux Street, and whether we want a powerful Supreme Court, we should remember that what is happening in the territories is the real corruption that engulfs us. Now we are on the eve of another peace event, yet during the past year another 3,525 new residential units were built in the territories, under the auspices of a government that talks incessantly about the end of occupation and two states. All the grandiloquent statements are void of substance when we read the data: Construction is at a peak in 88 settlements. Go to the territories and see for yourselves. When the construction firm Heftsiba imploded, suddenly hundreds of new settlers came to light, further proof of the magnitude of the "frozen" enterprise. The mountains of excuses, "settlement blocs" and "natural growth," as well as "beyond the fence" and "inside the fence," cannot conceal the naked truth: The enterprise has not ceased for a moment. It will not stop now. The hands of a quarter million settlers are soiled by iniquity and felony, but they are not the true guilty party. That belongs to all Israel's governments, with the exception of Yitzhak Rabin's second government. All of them have a hand in the iniquity. Nowadays, when Ehud Olmert says no, what does he mean? Is the "no" really "no" - perhaps it is only "maybe but not right now?" In view of past experience, the bitter truth is that Olmert's "no," like all those before it, is more inviting than "yes."
Last update - 10:31 18/11/2007
What do you mean when you say 'no'?
By Gideon LevyA festive day for peace: Israel is planning to announce a freeze on construction in the settlements as compensation for refusing to discuss the core issues. The Palestinians are ecstatic at all the good-will gestures Israel is throwing their way. First came the release of prisoners, now a freeze on construction, and the prime minister has already spoken with the settler leaders and informed them of the decision. They said it was a "difficult meeting," as it always is, winking at each other deviously. Undoubtedly, Israel wants peace. But a tiny detail seems to have been forgotten: Israel has signed a series of binding agreements to freeze settlement activity, which it never intended to fulfill. Of the 40 years of occupation, only during three has construction been stopped despite all the agreements and promises to do so. There is no reason to believe that Israel will behave differently this time. Of all Israel's iniquities in the occupied territories - the brutality, the assassinations, the siege, the hunger, the blackouts, the checkpoints and the mass arrests - nothing serves as witness to its real intentions than the settlements. Certainly for the future. Every home built in the territories, every light pole and every road are like a thousand witnesses: Israel does not want peace; Israel wants occupation. Whoever is serious about peace and a Palestinian state does not put up even a shed. From Oslo through Camp David and on to the road map, Israel has not put an end to the most criminal enterprise in its history. A short memory refresher: In article 7 of the Oslo Accords, Israel promised that "no party would undertake unilateral steps to alter the situation on the ground, prior to the completion of negotiations for the final status." That really made an impression on Israel. During the 10 years that followed, the number of settlers doubled. What about the heroic peace efforts of Ehud Barak as prime minister? During the 18 months of his government, Israel began the construction of 6,045 residential units in the territories. And why did Israel sign up to the road map two years later? "The government of Israel will freeze all its settlement activities, in accordance with the Mitchell report, except for natural growth in the settlements." And what happened in practice? Accusations that the Palestinians are not implementing the agreements, and a boatload of new settlers. This was also the case in 2005, another major "year of peace": the disengagement. And what did Israel do in its own backyard? Another 12,000 new settlers. This terrible enterprise, whose purpose is to foil any chance for peace, is also a criminal enterprise. According to Peace Now, based on Civil Administration data that have been kept hidden for years, about 40 percent of the settlements were built on privately owned land of Palestinians helpless to safeguard what is in most cases their sole property that was robbed in broad daylight by an occupying state. This took place years after the Supreme Court ruled in 1979 that it is illegal to build on private Palestinian land. Indeed, while Israel is debating whether it is a state of laws, whether the prime minister was given a discount for the house on Cremieux Street, and whether we want a powerful Supreme Court, we should remember that what is happening in the territories is the real corruption that engulfs us. Now we are on the eve of another peace event, yet during the past year another 3,525 new residential units were built in the territories, under the auspices of a government that talks incessantly about the end of occupation and two states. All the grandiloquent statements are void of substance when we read the data: Construction is at a peak in 88 settlements. Go to the territories and see for yourselves. When the construction firm Heftsiba imploded, suddenly hundreds of new settlers came to light, further proof of the magnitude of the "frozen" enterprise. The mountains of excuses, "settlement blocs" and "natural growth," as well as "beyond the fence" and "inside the fence," cannot conceal the naked truth: The enterprise has not ceased for a moment. It will not stop now. The hands of a quarter million settlers are soiled by iniquity and felony, but they are not the true guilty party. That belongs to all Israel's governments, with the exception of Yitzhak Rabin's second government. All of them have a hand in the iniquity. Nowadays, when Ehud Olmert says no, what does he mean? Is the "no" really "no" - perhaps it is only "maybe but not right now?" In view of past experience, the bitter truth is that Olmert's "no," like all those before it, is more inviting than "yes."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)