"the most moral army in the world"

w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m
Last update - 09:02 24/02/2008
IDF downplays allegations West Bank troops abuse Palestinians
By Yuval Azoulay

Shooting Palestinian bystanders; illegally commandeering cars and going on joyrides; torturing a youth by pressing a heater to his face and beating cuffed prisoners on their way to custody. These are only some of the reported cases of abuse for which Israel Defense Forces soldiers serving in the West Bank are currently on trial.

"We've been hit by a tsunami," said the commander of the Kfir Brigade, members of which were recently implicated in a rampage through a West Bank town that left two Palestinians wounded, one of them seriously. Kfir is the largest IDF unit in the West Bank. "I suppose every brigade goes through low and high periods, and right now we're in a low one."

Another officer in the GOC Central Command admitted that "the brigade is in a rough patch." But some officers say that the incident, while lamentable, is not unusual; what is different about this case, they say, is that most units involved in such incidents sweep them under the carpet. In any case, Kfir officials are careful not to call the incident a "moral crisis." They do concede, however, that had they reorganized their unit and made changes to the decision-making process than perhaps the headlines would have been different.

Last July, soldiers from the brigade commandeered a local taxi, forcibly removing its passengers. The driver, Mohammed Issa Mahrazeh, was also removed, tied up and blindfolded and returned to the vehicle, where he was held for the duration of the incident. He sustained bruises.

While driving through the town of Dahariya, the soldiers noticed a young man approaching the vehicle. According to the indictment, the officer ordered one of the soldiers to "distance" Badham Samamra, 18, from the car with his weapon. The soldier pointed his weapon out the window of the taxi and shot Samamra. The bullet entered Samara's left shoulder and exited through his chest, causing moderate to serious injuries.

During the trial of the commander of the force during the Dahariya incident, First Lieutenant Ya'akov Gigi, his lawyers argued that his actions were part of a pattern of inappropriate behavior within the brigade that had filtered down to the junior officer corps and the combat troops.

Other soldiers from the Kfir Brigade are currently being tried separately for allegedly taunting Palestinians by exposing themselves. Meanwhile, soldiers from another infantry unit are suspected of applying an electric heater to the face of a Palestinian youth. According to Israel Radio, IDF soldiers used the cameras on their mobile phones to record themselves abusing detained Palestinians. Some of the soldiers allegedly beat the detainees while one of the soldiers is accused of exposing himself.

Channel 2 television's "Fact" investigative program recently aired additional alleged incidents of abuse by soldiers in the Kfir Brigade. "We'd go on a patrol," one soldier told Channel 2. "If even one kid looked at us the wrong way, he'd be slapped. Rocks were thrown at us during one patrol, and we caught one of the kids who knew the perpetrators. We beat the crap out of him until he told us who did it." The soldier said that he and other soldiers tracked down a boy said to be involved, aged 14, and placed the tips of their rifles in his mouth. "We said, 'You want to die? Just say when and where,'" the soldier recalled.

In another instance, soldiers at roadblocks choked 10-year-old Palestinians with their bare hands until the children passed out. "Hebron is like the Wild West and the army is the law," a soldier said. "We would see who could go without breathing the longest."

The Kfir Brigade was created in December 2005. In consists of six battalions whose soldiers man 30 percent of the roadblocks in the West Bank and are responsible for 60 percent of arrests. They have succeeded in decreasing the number of terrorist attacks in the West Bank.

But the drudgery of working opposite an often hostile civilian population is far from glamorous. Furthermore, as a new unit Kfir lacks the sense of history of the Paratroopers or the Golani Brigade; they have no heroes to look up to. "They are trying to instill a sense of pride in the unit, but so far they have failed. The [color] of the beret is ugly - like that of Hezbollah. If you look at its lining you might expect to find a 'Made in Syria' label," a soldier who only recently finished advanced training joked.

"Our legacy is the present and the future and there's nothing that can be done about that. The legacy is being slowly built through traumatic events," a senior officer in the unit said. "Low morale is an explanation but it's not an excuse. It shouldn't happen at all."

finally the food arrived to Gaza

Coalition against the Gaza Siege

Press Release February 18, 2008


At noon today in the Sufa Border Crossing, donated foodstuffs and water filters at last reached their destination in Gaza



At Noon today, there at last arrived in their Gaza destination the goods carried in the supply convoy of the Israeli Peace and Human Rights organizations, two and a half weeks ago. After the authorization was given after long negotiations with the military authorities, some fifteen activists arrived this morning at the warehouses in Kibbutz Kerem Shalom and the Bedouin town of Rahat, where the goods had been stored, loaded them and decorated the cargo with enormous banners reading End the Blockade of Gaza!



The Israeli activists accompanied the cargo until the entrance of the Sufa Compound on the Gaza Strip border, where it was unloaded and transferred to Palestinian trucks and delivered to members of the Palestinian-International Campaign to End the Siege, based at Gaza City. The cargo consisted of five tons of basic foodstuffs purchased by the organizers from donations collected from Israel and all over the world, as well as water purification filters for the highly polluted water in the Strip. To these were added two tons of personal aid packages, prepared by many Israeli families as a a goodwill gesture to the Gaza inhabitants.



Members of the Palestinian Campaign intend to give the highest priority in distribution of the water filters received today to the Gaza Strip hospitals, where the need for clean water is particularly acute. The entry of water filters today follows many months when the Israeli siege caused a severe shortage of this item, indispensable for basic health, as of many other vital goods. The organizers hope that from now on, inhabitants of the Gaza Strip would be able to use the precedent created and import as many water filters as needed, without restrictions.



“Under conditions of the strangling siege of Gaza, the simple act of transporting a few tons of cargo some dozens of kilometres required two months of intensive effort by dozens of people in Israel and the Gaza Strip, with considerable help from peace seekers all over the world. This siege should be terminated forthwith. It is a manifestly immoral, gross violation of International Law which causes Israel nothing but damage. The suffering caused to the inhabitants of Gaza in no way benefits the inhabitants of Sderot. There is only one way to bring about the end of the shooting of Quassam Missiles at Israeli communities: a positive response to the many offers by Hamas leaders, to a complete and mutual ceasefire on both sides of the Gaza Strip border" said former Knesset Member Uri Avnery of Gush Shalom, who was among the activists accompanying the aid cargo to the Sufa Crossing. Dr. Eyad Sarraj of the Palestinian campaign spoke with the Israeli organizers on the phone and warmly thanked them. He told that the stores of goods brought into the Gaza Strip during the two weeks when the Egyptian border was open are in the process of running out, and that the feeling of siege and suffocation is reasserting itself. "We in Gaza greatly appreciate the manifestation of solidarity in the convoy of today. We hope that this is the start of a common struggle by the two peoples, to ensure peace and liberty to both."


Contact: Adam Keller 0506-709603, Ya’akov Manor 09-7670801 or
050-5733276, Dr. Eyad Sarraj 0599-408438, Marwan Diab 0599-462037
Stills of the action available from AP and Reuters. Video footage from AP as well as from Natalio Cohen 050-8102366 or Sergio Yahni 052-6375032.


Participating organizations: Gush Shalom, Combatants for Peace, Coalition of Women for Peace, ICAHD – The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, Bat Shalom, Bat Tzafon for Peace and Equality, Balad, Hadash, Adalah, Tarabut- Hithabrut, Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, AIC – The Alternative Information Center, Psychoactive – Mental Health Workers for Human Rights, ActiveStills, The Students Coalition (Tel Aviv University), New Profile, MachsomWatch, PCATI – The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Yesh Gvul, Gisha, Local Television on the Internet, Committee for Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue, “On the Left Side”, and Faculty for Palestinian-Israeli Peace (Israel).

how the EU helps Israel to strangle Gaza

Opinion/Editorial
How the EU helps Israel to strangle Gaza
David Morrison, The Electronic Intifada, 14 February 2008



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How is Israel able to strangle the Gaza Strip when there is supposed to be an international crossing between Gaza and Egypt not controlled by Israelis?

Certainly, free movement was the promise held out in the comprehensive Agreement on Movement and Access, signed more than two years ago by Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). The first of the six components of this agreement was that there would be a crossing between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah, controlled by the PA and Egypt. At the time, this was hailed as an historic step on the road to a Palestinian state -- for the first time, it was said, Palestinians would have access to the outside world free from Israeli control.

So, how was Israel still able to impose a suffocating blockade on the Strip, home to almost 1.5 million Palestinians, eighty percent of them refugees? After Palestinian forces opened the border wall on 23 January, breaking the siege, many Palestinians blamed Egypt for not doing the same much earlier to relieve the suffering and deprivation that had brought Gaza to within days of running out of food and medicine. But however complicit Egypt may have been it was not alone.

It was primarily through the good offices of the European Union (EU), which had a formal role in managing the Rafah crossing, that Israel always had a veto on the opening of the crossing. In practice, whenever Israel didn't want the crossing open, the EU obligingly kept it shut.

The Rafah crossing was open almost every day from 25 November 2005 to 24 June 2006, though not for 24 hours a day as intended. However, after 24 June 2006, when an Israeli soldier was captured by Palestinians, the EU, at Israel's insistence, prevented it from opening regularly and then kept it closed completely since 9 June 2007, after Hamas took control of Gaza.

Quartet midwife

The so-called Middle East Quartet (the US, the EU, Russia and the UN) was the midwife of the agreement, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Javier Solana (EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy) were in Jerusalem on 15 November 2005 to launch it.

Rice said that the agreement "is intended to give the Palestinian people freedom to move, to trade, to live ordinary lives." She added that "for the first time since 1967, Palestinians will gain control over entry and exit from their territory. This will be through an international crossing at Rafah."

Solana also hailed the arrangements: "This is the first time that a border is opened and not controlled by the Israelis. ... So as you can imagine, this is a very important step that is the first time that takes place."

One could be forgiven for thinking that the US and the EU had made arrangements for a border crossing between Gaza and Egypt that was "not controlled by the Israelis" and that from then on Gaza couldn't be strangled by Israel.

EU third party

But reality fell far short of Rice and Solana's claims. The agreement did not provide for commercial goods traffic through the Rafah crossing into Gaza, so it did not facilitate trade. And despite the cosmetics, the crossing has always been controlled by the Israelis. Even though Israel has no personnel, military or otherwise, physically present at the crossing, it has been able to close the crossing at will, just as it can close the crossings between Gaza and Israel itself.

This came about because, under the agreement, a third party must have personnel present at the Rafah crossing before it is allowed to open. The third party is the EU -- and the EU has always refused to man the crossing when Israel didn't want the crossing open. In effect, the EU has acted as a proxy for Israel.

The agreement gives EU personnel at the crossing the authority "to ensure that the PA complies with all applicable rules and regulations concerning the Rafah crossing point and the terms of this agreement" and in the event of perceived non-compliance "to order the re-examination and reassessment of any passenger, luggage, vehicle or goods."

For this purpose, the EU established the grandly titled EU Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point, or EUBAM Rafah. This is a force of less than a hundred, mostly policemen, which is based in Ashkelon in Israel.

In addition to the EU monitors, who are physically present at the crossing, Israeli security forces are able to monitor activity at the crossing remotely, via closed circuit TV and other data links, and can make a record of the individuals crossing. The Israeli monitors are based in Israel at the Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza, where a liaison office (for liaison between Israel and the PA) is located. One of the duties of the EU, as the third party to the agreement, is to "lead" this office:

"A liaison office, led by the third party, will receive real-time video and data feed of the activities at Rafah and will meet regularly to review implementation of this agreement, resolve any disputes arising from this agreement, and perform other tasks specified in this agreement."

Israeli veto

Ridiculous as it may seem, the EU takes the view that the opening of the crossing is a matter that may be disputed by Israeli representatives in the liaison office. And if they don't agree to it opening, the EU doesn't send its monitors to the crossing, as required for its opening under the terms of the agreement. So, Israel has a veto over the opening of the crossing, even though, according to Rice and Solana, it is "not controlled by the Israelis."

But on the EUBAM website, the answer given to the question "Can EUBAM open the crossing point?" is:

"RCP [Rafah Crossing Point] can only be opened by agreement between the Parties. EUBAM cannot itself open the crossing point."

That is as plain as a pikestaff: in the opinion of the EU, the agreement gives Israel a veto on whether the crossing should open. There is nothing in the agreement to warrant such an interpretation -- and it is in flat contradiction to the words of Rice and Solana that the crossing would "not be controlled by Israelis."

What is more, in the opinion of the EU, the agreement gives Israel the right to close the crossing when it is open. According to a press statement on 14 December 2006, after the crossing opened that day, "the Government of Israel had requested that the crossing be closed due to the expected arrival of Prime Minister Haniyeh, who was reportedly carrying a large sum of money." After consultations with Brussels, the EU closed the crossing.

Since the Israeli-built Gaza-Egypt border wall was torn down, Israel, the Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, Egypt and the EU have met to try to restore the arrangements under the agreement. Hamas, excluded from these meetings, has stated that it will not allow a return to the situation of de facto Israeli control through the "third party" proxy and has demanded a role in managing the crossing.

If Gaza is to be immune from strangulation by Israel in future, then the Israeli veto over the opening of the Rafah crossing will have to be ended. In addition, the crossing must cater for commercial traffic into Gaza, which is not provided for under the present agreement.

David Morrison writes for the Labour & Trade Union Review (www.ltureview.com), where a longer version of this article appeared. He lives in Belfast and his website is www.david-morrison.org.uk.

Another house demolition in Jerusalem/ Une autre demolition de maison dans la vieille ville de jerusalem

(c) Anne Paq/Activestills.org, Jerusalem, 6 Feb 2008.


une demolition de maison dans la vieille ville de Jerusalem, juste devant une colonie. la famille est installée là depuis des génerations

AAN NEWS AGENCY
---------------------------


Israeli bulldozers demolish Palestinian house in Jerusalem

Date: 06 / 02 / 2008 Time: 13:12

Jerusalem – Ma'an – Israeli military forces demolished a Palestinian house in the Old City of Jerusalem on Wednesday on the pretext that the house was built without a permit.

The two-story home on Al-Buraq Street, belonging to the Isma'il Al-Masri family, housed 30 people. Israeli bulldozers began to destroy the house at 10am local time, the family said.

The family said that they had received warning that the house would be demolished. Israeli authorities told the family that if they did not destroy the house by itself, they would have to pay the costs of demolishing it by force.

The family claimed that they had in fact begun to dismantle the house, and were surprised to find Israeli bulldozers toppling their home this morning.

Building permits are often extremely hard for Palestinians to obtain, and are therefore used as a pretext for house demolition.

Snow party in Palestine/ De la neige en Palestine

c) Anne Paq/Activestills. org. Snow Party in Bethlehem; Jerusalem and Ramallah,31 January 2008.

Vendredi 1er Fevrier.

Petit grain de folie en Palestine, la neige est ,arrivée ! Les Palestiniens en parlent depuis une semaine. Ici quand il y a trois flocons de neige, personne ne va au travail. C’est un jour de fete pour les gosses. Les rues s’etaient transformées une nouvelle fois en champs de bataille, mais cette fois pour le grand plaisir des enfants. ça fait du bien.


There was a sense of exultation the last two days in Palestine ; the snow has arrived! Palestinians had been talking about it the last week. Here when there is even a ridiculous amount of snow falling from the sky, Palestinians stopped everything and they certainly do not want to go to work. It is a snow party day fornthe kids and it is so enjoyable to see and participate. The streets turned themselves again in battlefiels, but this time for fun! it just felt so good

Snow party in Palestine/ De la neige en Palestine

(c) Anne Paq/Activestills.org
Snow Party in Bethlehem; Jerusalem and Ramallah,31 January 2008.

Snow party in Palestine/ De la neige en Palestine

Snow party in Palestine/ De la neige en Palestine

(c) Anne Paq/Activestills. org. Snow Party in Bethlehem; Jerusalem and Ramallah,31 January 2008.

Another day in Palestine/ Un autre jour en Palestine

(c) Anne Paq/Activestills.org. Demolition of a building in Shufat and funerals after the military invasion of Bethlehem, 28 and 29 January 2008.


Une journee en Palestine/ A day in Palestine.

Dans la meme journee, demolition de maison le matin a Shufat et invasion militaire de Bethlehem l'apres midi.

Here I am back home and I am still trying to make a sense of this day but I definitly cannot.
A typical day in Palestine. Soldiers, demolitions; checkpoints; military invasions, clashes; bullets, sound bombs; stones throwing; death; new demolitions. And in between some joke,s laughs; good food and small talks. At the end of the day, you feel reckless and confused because you had been through so many emotions. I have too many pictures, mud on my pants and I cannot focus on any thought. How did it start? My day started as usual until I got a message on my phone warning me about a house demolition in Shufat, next to Jerusalem. It is something I document so I went and dropped all other plans. As I reached the site there were many soldiers around and they prevented me to go close without any justification. I managed to go around and ended up in somebody’s appartement with a perfect view on the spot to see the monsterous Caterpillar mouth eating another Palestinian building, one of its favourites. It felt awful to watch that show for three hours, and it was not over when I left. That building is the home of five families. Two floors will be destroyed. People were gathering around and watched, including kids and against witnessing another brutal act of the occupyier.
I went back to Bethlehem; and I thought I took enough photographs for the day. But there is always more here. And it is draining. As I passed the checkpoint, I saw five military jeeps entering Bethlehem; which is quite unusual in the middle of the day so I knew something was up. I went to work anyway, and then after one hour I was interrupted by a phone call of a journalist friend telling me that the Israeli army was actually in the middle of Bethlehem with a bulldozer. They wanted to arrest somebody, a militant from Islamic Jihad. It was obvious that some clashes would occur with the young Palestinians from the city. I had to take another card as mine was full with the ones of the house demolition from the morning. I jumped into a taxi and went to the street where the army was in position. There was one jeep blocking the street and a truck with the Israeli flag. I went around and found the young Palestinians throwing stones; doing all over again the same deadly game with the soldiers. The soldiers are far, they are all fully protected and still they may shoot live bullets to the teenagers throwing stones. They know that if a kid fell and died they would never be punished by law. I moved to another part of the city where there were even more clashes, the Palestinians were throwing stones behind a trash bin that had been put on fire. There were shootings; at one point it was non-stop for 5 minutes and everybody ran away. One of my friends who was there told me earlier that he saw one kid falling down, full of blood. I stayed for a while; protected against a wall. I was not risking anything but still my heart was beating fast. I will never get used to the sound of live bullets.
Then we went up to a building to look at where the army was and we saw a bulldozer moving towards houses but it was too dark to see anything. A cameraman next to me received a phone call and he said “Shaeed”; the Arabic word for martyr. A teenager, aged 17; has been killed from Deheishe camp. His name was Qusai. I went to the hospital. A lot of people were there already from the camp; many of them were hugging, in tears. As I walked inside the room where the body was rested, I saw a boy crying. He was Qusai’s brother. I did not stay long.
Once at home, I tried to organize my thoughts but I could not. I think I still cannot. Just another exhausting day in Palestine.

Military invasion in Bethlehem/ Invasion militaire à Bethlehem.

(c) Anne Paq/ activestills.org, Bethlehem, 28 January 2008.
Military invasion of bethlehem. Time of mourning for the brother and family of
17-year old called Qusai al-Afandi killed by live bullet.

Invasion militaire de Bethlehem. Temps de deuil pour le frere et la famille de Qusai al-Afandi, agé de 17 ans tué par balles reélles lors de l'invasion.



Army ends its invasion into Bethlehem after killing one reisdent and injuring seven
author Monday January 28, 2008 22:15author by Ghassan Bannoura & George Reshmawi - IMEMC N

The Israeli army left the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem on Monday evening, leaving one civilian dead and seven others injured. One resistance fighter was also kidnapped.

Medical sources at Beit Jala hospital told IMEMC that Qusai al-Afandi, 17, from Bethlehem was killed by Israeli gunfire. On Monday afternoon Israeli troops invaded Bethlehem and surrounded a house located in the southern part of the city in an attempt to kidnap what the army calls "wanted Palestinians".

Eyewitnesses told IMEMC that the Israeli troops forced journalists into a nearby house, belonging to Mohammad Abdeh, preventing them to document the attack. They added that the troops attacked residents' homes and searched them.

Six civilians were injured during several hours of clashes between locals youth and the invading troops.

Medical sources reported that Abdulkareem al-Atrash, 19, from Deheishe refugee camp, was wounded in his head with a rubber-coated steel bullet causing a moderate injury. The source added that Yousef Abu Srour, from Aida refugee camp was wounded in his leg, in addition to Salem Al-'Orouj, 29, from the nearby Tiqua village who was wounded by live ammunition that penetrated his knee as he was walking home from work.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Za'areer 13, was hit with a live bullet in his head and a rubber-coated steel bullet in his arm. His condition was described as serious but stable after surgery in Beit Jala hospital, according to the medical source.

During the five hour attack the Israeli army used bulldozers to demolish part of Mohammad Abdeh’s home. He was kidnapped by the troops before they left Bethlehem.

A Palestinian security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told IMEMC that he believes Israeli troops were chasing three Palestinians, claiming they are wanted by the Israeli authorities. The three were identified as Ahmad Al-Balboul from the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, and Mohammad Shihade and Mohammad Abdeh of the Islamic Jihad movement.

The Israelis say Mohammad Shihade has been on the ‘wanted’ list for almost 7 years. He ran for the Palestinian Legislative Council elections in January 2006, as an independent candidate, yet he failed to make it to the parliament.

Update from
One Palestinian killed, four wounded as Israeli troops invade Bethlehem
Time 20:20

One Palestinian young man was killed and two others were injured as Israeli soldiers invade the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Monday afternoon.

Medical sources at Beit Jala hospital told IMEMC that Qusai al-Afandi, 17 from Bethlehem was killed by Israeli soldiers' gun fire.

Local sources told IMEMC that Israeli troops surrounded a house located in the southern part of Bethlehem city in an attempt to kidnap what the army calls "wanted Palestinians".

Eyewitnesses told IMEMC that the Israeli troops forced journalists into a nearby house, which belongs to Mohammad Abdeh and did not allow them to document the attack; they added that the troops are attacking residents' homes and searching them.

Palestinian security official who spoke on condition of anonymity told IMEMC that he believes Israeli troops are after three Palestinians claimed to be wanted by the Israeli army. The three were identified as, Ahmad Al-Balboul from Al-Aqsa Brigade, the armed wing of Fatah, and Mohammad Shihade and Mohammad Abdeh of the Islamic Jihad movement.

Mohammad Shihade has been claimed wanted since almost 7 years and has ran for the Palestinian legislative council elections in January 2006, as an independent candidate, yet he failed to make it to the parliament.

The witnesses added that invading Israeli troops brought army bulldozers into the area an indication that the house being surrounded will be demolished by the army.

Local youths that are throwing stones are still clashing with invading troops; medical sources reported at least four injuries.

Medical source reported that Abdulkareem al-Atrash 19 from Deheishe refugee camp, was wounded in his head with a rubber-coated steel bullet causing a moderate injury. The source added that Yousef Abu Srour, from Aida refugee camp was wounded in his leg, in additino to Salem Al-'Orouj 29, from the nearby Tiqua village was wounded by live ammunition that penetrated his knee as he was walking home from his work.

Meanwhile, young boy, Mohammad Za'areer 13, was hit with a live bullet to his head and rubber-coated steel bullet to his arm. His condition was described as serious, but stabel after he was operated on in Beit Jala hospital, according to the medical source.

As of the time of writing this report Israeli troops are still in Bethlehem, sinpers has taken position on roof-tops and others prevent vehicles to move in the area including ambulances.

Military invasion in Bethlehem/ Invasion militaire à Bethlehem.

(c) Anne Paq/ activestills.org, Bethlehem, 28 January 2008.
Military invasion of bethlehem. Several were injured and one 17-year old called Qusai al-Afandi was killed. The army fired live bullets to the kids throwing stones some hundreds meters away.

Invasion militaire de Bethlehem/ Plusieurs ont été blessés et un jeune, Qusai al-Afandi, agé de 17 ans a tué par balles. L'armée israélienne a tiré à balles reelles contre les jeunes jetant des pierres a plusieurs centaines de metres.

For Gaza demo at Erez Crossing / Pour Gaza, manifestaition au checkpoint de Erez

c) Anne Paq/activestills.org; Eretz Crossing between Israel and Gaza, 26/01/2006.
Checkpoint de Erez a l'entree de Gaza, 26/01/2008.

For Gaza demo at Erez Crossing / Pour Gaza, manifestaition au checkpoint de Erez

(c) Anne Paq/activestills.org; Eretz Crossing between Israel and Gaza, 26/01/2006.
Checkpoint de Erez a l'entree de Gaza, 26/01/2008.

Protest against Israel's blockade of Gaza, at the Erez crossing just outside the northern Gaza Strip, Israel, 26/1/2008.

Plus de 1000 personnes ont protesté contre le blocus de Gaza au checkpoint de Erez.
Le convoi comprenait des voitures et bus provenant de plusieurs villes d’Israel. De la nourriture de base a été rassemblée et apres de longues negociations l’armée a accepté de laisser rentrer les denrées à Gaza le lundi suivant.

More than 1000 activists took part in a protest on the Israeli side of Erez Crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, calling the Israeli government to stop the siege of Gaza. 26/1/2008.

Convoy to Gaza

Press release 25/1/2008



Army closes down hilltop site of planned Saturday rally at the conclusion of Gaza supply convoy; rally will take place instead outside Erez Checkpoint, after car convoy and protest march by foot
Parallel Palestinian demonstration due inside Strip



This morning police suddenly informed organizers of the countrywide Gaza Supply Convoy, due tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 26) that the army has forbidden the holding of the concluding rally on a hilltop overlooking the Gaza Strip (to which no objection was made earlier). The army even intends to surround the site with barbed wire to prevent access. There is no time to lodge a Supreme Court appeal, and organizers decided to have the rally at Erez Checkpoint, use of which is denied to Gazans.



The authorities’ move makes it impossible to have direct eye contact between the simultaneous Israeli and Palestinian rallies tomorrow, but there will still be phone contact and exchange of a message of peace and solidarity across the sealed border.



As noted in earlier messages, the humanitarian supply convoy will set out tomorrow morning, Saturday, 26 January 2008, from Nazareth , Haifa , Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beer Sheva and meet up at 12.00 noon at Yad Mordechai Junction. From Yad Mordechai the protest convoy will go southwards, a long line of trucks, buses and private cars all decked with “Lift the Blockade!”signs. About half a kilometre ahead of the checkpoint, participants will march on foot, carrying signs and personal packages of supplies prepared by Israeli families for the Gazans. At 13:00 the rally will take place outside the locked gates of Erez Checkpoint. Speakers will include Shulamit Aloni, Uri Avnery, Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Issam Makhoul, Fatmeh el-Ajou, Rana Nashashibi, Suliman Al-Hatib and Jeff Halper. The convoy and rally will take place under all weather conditions.



As noted, there will be a phone link with the parallel demonstration due at the same hour in Gaza City at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the keynote speaker will psychiatrist and human rights activist Dr. Eyad Sarraj. A parallel Palestinian demonstration is also expected in Ramallah. Simultaneous demonstrations will take place in Rome, Modena, Bologna, Grosseto, Naples, Milan, Paris, Poitiers, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Nantes, Orleans, Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, London, Montreal, Los Angeles, Chicago, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Sydney, New York, Phoenix, Seattle, San Diego, Toronto, Cape Town and elsewhere across the globe – with a considerable participation of Jewish groups opposed to the policies of the Government of Israel.



You may go with us at 8.30 am from Reading Terminal in Tel Aviv, 8.45 a.m. from Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem , or go independently to be at 12 noon to Yad Mordechai Junction, where the convoy will set out.



For further details: Adam Keller, Gush Shalom (0506-709603), Adi Dagan, Coalition of Women for Peace (0508-575730), Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, ICAHD (0547- 366393). Dr. Eyad Sarraj ( Gaza ), End the Siege on Gaza campaign, (0599-408438), Marwan Diab ( Gaza ), End the Siege on Gaza campaign, (0599-462037).



Participating organisations: Gush Shalom, Combatants for Peace, Coalition of Women for Peace, ICAHD – The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, Bat Shalom, Bat Tzafon for Peace and Equality, Balad, Hadash, Adalah, Tarabut- Hithabrut, Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, AIC – The Alternative Information Center, Psychoactive – Mental Health Workers for Human Rights, ActiveStills, The Students Coalition (Tel Aviv University), New Profile, MachsomWatch, PCATI – The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Yesh Gvul, Gisha, Local Television on the Internet, Committee for Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue, “On the Left Side”, and Faculty for Palestinian-Israeli Peace (Israel).

For Gaza/ Pour Gaza

(c) Anne Paq/Activestills.org, Bethlehem; 22 January 2008
Veillee a la bougie a Bethlehem en protestation du bouclage de Gaza. Les punitions collectives sont interdites par le droit international.
Candles Vigil in Bethlehem in protest against the siege of Gaza. Collective punishment is illegal according to international law/

Scores of Palestinians and internationals protest in Bethlehem against the Siege imposed on Gaza
author Tuesday January 22, 2008 19:46author by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC Newsauthor email ghassanb at imemc dot org Report this post to the editors

About 150 Palestinians and internationals gathered on Tuesday evening in front of the Nativity church located in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem in protest of the Israeli imposed Siege of the Gaza Strip.

Protesters in Bethlehem Today – Photo by IMEMC's Ghassan Bannoura
Protesters in Bethlehem Today – Photo by IMEMC's Ghassan Bannoura

The event was organized by local NGOs including Al Ruwwad cultural center in Aida Refugee Camp, Al Khader Popular Committee, Mithaq center, the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement between People, the mother organization of IMEMC, Al Fineeq Center, and Sirage center.

Protesters held banners calling for the end of the Israeli Siege of Gaza, after Short Speeches were delivered in Both Arabic and English, the participants chanted slogans calling for the end of the Israeli Siege and attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.

Hussam Jubaran, one of the Organizers of the event told IMEMC that this protest is a symbolic action to show support for the people in the Coastal Region, " our hearts are with our brothers in Gaza, we demand an immediate halt to this illegal Siege and the violent attacks Israeli is doing in the Gaza strip." Jubaran said

On Thursday last week, the Israeli government decided to keep up the pressure on the Gaza Strip by further attacking Palestinian resistance groups. On Friday Israel declared all Gaza's border crossings completely closed, with a total ban of the delivery of fuel and supplies to the coastal region. By Sunday Gaza had no electricity as the only power plant in Gaza depends entirely upon Israeli Fuel.

After a widespread international outcry following Israel cutting off of all fuel into Gaza, the Israeli authorities agreed to allow fuel and medicine into the Palestinian coastal region on Tuesday for one day only.

Israeli government sources stated on Tuesday that the latest fuel shipment Israel allowed into the Gaza strip is an attempt to sabotage any Security Council condemnation of the siege imposed on the Gaza strip by Israel. Arab states that have representation in the UN Security Council called of an emergency session on Tuesday in an attempt to win UN Security Council condemnation of the Israeli siege of the Gaza strip.

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

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

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.


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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.

slideshow of my photo group in Aida refugee camp

Demonstration against Bush's visit; in Jerusalem

(c) Anne Paq/ Activesills.org, Jerusalem, 9 January 2008.
See also protest in Ramallah