25 jan 2018
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MK Oren (L) believes Ahed Tamimi and her family are actors
Michael Oren reveals he had conducted a secret parliamentary investigation into the Tamimi family, suspecting their 'blond hair, freckles and Western clothes' belied the fact they were not 'real' Palestinians but part of the 'Pallywood' industry; Bassem Tamimi, Ahed's father, said the investigation was 'silly and racist.' Kulanu MK Michael Oren on Wednesday said he led a secret investigation into 16-year-old Palestinian provocateur Ahed Tamimi and her family, in part because their appearance—including "blond-haired, freckled" children in "Western clothes"—made them seem less like "real" Palestinians. |
The stunning comments by Oren, a deputy minister and former ambassador to the United States, promptly drew accusations of racism from the family—the latest twist in a case that has turned into a public relations headache for Israel.
The case revolves around Israel's handling of Ahed Tamimi, who was arrested on December 19 for slapping two Israeli soldiers outside her West Bank home four days earlier.
Video of the scuffle quickly spread, giving Tamimi worldwide attention. The girl, noticeable for her long blonde curls, and her mother are now being held in jail. Ahed faces charges that carry up to 14 years in prison.
Oren told The Associated Press that he had led a classified parliamentary investigation into the Tamimis two years ago in which Israeli security agencies and diplomats participated.
The family has a long history of leading protests against Israeli policies in the West Bank that often turn into clashes with soldiers in their village of Nabi Salih, and Ahed has been involved in highly publicized scuffles with soldiers in the past.
Oren said his investigation looked into whether the protests were genuine or whether the family members were provocateurs, paid to send children to clash with soldiers.
Derisively calling the skirmishes caught on tape "Pallywood," Oren claimed that "someone" was funding the unrest to harm Israel's image, without providing evidence.
"The Tamimi family and those claiming to be part of the Tamimi family have been provoking Israeli soldiers for many, many years now," he said. "The children were chosen on the basis of their appearance, to look Western, freckled, and blond-haired."
"They were dressed as Westerners," he added. "They don't dress the way children dress in the West Bank, for a very specific purpose: to get soldiers to react violently to them, to take pictures of this violence and to spread it around the world in order to delegitimize, discredit the State of Israel."
He called it a "very sophisticated operation" that has succeeded in manipulating the Western press.
In an interview with Channel 10, Oren claimed one boy appeared in different videos with a cast on one arm at one protest, and on his other arm at another protest, before disappearing from demonstrations altogether.
In a statement from his office, Oren said, "In discussions held in the committee, the issue of the family’s credibility was raised, and if it really is a real family."
Ahed's father, Bassem Tamimi, called Oren's investigation "silly and stupid" and said the investigation was racist.
"We, the Tamimi family, were here in Palestine before the creation of Israel, and we will stay," he said. "Denying that Palestinians could be blond reflects the racism in Israeli society."
Ahed has been celebrated by Palestinians as a national hero, and Israel's treatment of her has drawn the attention of international activists, human rights groups and UN officials.
In the December 15 video, she is seen approaching two soldiers standing outside her home. She yells at them, tells them to leave, then kicks and slaps them as they stand silently.
The family says the girl was upset because a young cousin had been shot in the head and seriously wounded with a rubber bullet fired by Israeli troops. But the altercation drew outrage in Israel over what some had seen as a humiliation of the military.
In a reflection of tensions, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered the popular Army Radio station to ban any songs composed by Yehonatan Geffen, a leading journalist and songwriter, because of a poem he published that praised Ahed. The attorney general ruled that Lieberman has no authority over the station's programming.
Defense Minister Lieberman was then criticized by Geffen's two children, Shira and Aviv, who wrote a poem and an open letter respectively blasting him for his treatment of their father and political positions.
Opposition lawmaker Nachman Shai (Zionist Union), a former chief military spokesman who is often critical of the government, acknowledged that the incident has become part of the war for the "hearts and minds" of people around the world.
But he said Israel had no choice in how to handle the case.
"She does not deserve to return home as if nothing happened," he said. "You cannot ignore it, because that will cause other Palestinians to follow her."
Tamimi was arrested in an overnight raid on December 19, and her mother was arrested when she visited her daughter at a police station.
An Israeli military court has ordered they both be held for the duration of their trial—a process that is expected to take months. Ahed has been charged with 12 counts of attacking soldiers in five incidents going back to April 2016, while her mother has been charged with incitement. A cousin arrested with Ahed has been released on bail.
The family lawyer, Gaby Lasky, said the trial is scheduled to begin on January 31, Ahed's 17th birthday. She said she was hopeful prosecutors would not seek the maximum 14-year sentence for the girl and would agree to a reduced sentence of several months.
Asked about Oren's investigation, she said she was "ashamed" to hear a parliamentary committee was dealing with "wild conspiracy theories."
The case revolves around Israel's handling of Ahed Tamimi, who was arrested on December 19 for slapping two Israeli soldiers outside her West Bank home four days earlier.
Video of the scuffle quickly spread, giving Tamimi worldwide attention. The girl, noticeable for her long blonde curls, and her mother are now being held in jail. Ahed faces charges that carry up to 14 years in prison.
Oren told The Associated Press that he had led a classified parliamentary investigation into the Tamimis two years ago in which Israeli security agencies and diplomats participated.
The family has a long history of leading protests against Israeli policies in the West Bank that often turn into clashes with soldiers in their village of Nabi Salih, and Ahed has been involved in highly publicized scuffles with soldiers in the past.
Oren said his investigation looked into whether the protests were genuine or whether the family members were provocateurs, paid to send children to clash with soldiers.
Derisively calling the skirmishes caught on tape "Pallywood," Oren claimed that "someone" was funding the unrest to harm Israel's image, without providing evidence.
"The Tamimi family and those claiming to be part of the Tamimi family have been provoking Israeli soldiers for many, many years now," he said. "The children were chosen on the basis of their appearance, to look Western, freckled, and blond-haired."
"They were dressed as Westerners," he added. "They don't dress the way children dress in the West Bank, for a very specific purpose: to get soldiers to react violently to them, to take pictures of this violence and to spread it around the world in order to delegitimize, discredit the State of Israel."
He called it a "very sophisticated operation" that has succeeded in manipulating the Western press.
In an interview with Channel 10, Oren claimed one boy appeared in different videos with a cast on one arm at one protest, and on his other arm at another protest, before disappearing from demonstrations altogether.
In a statement from his office, Oren said, "In discussions held in the committee, the issue of the family’s credibility was raised, and if it really is a real family."
Ahed's father, Bassem Tamimi, called Oren's investigation "silly and stupid" and said the investigation was racist.
"We, the Tamimi family, were here in Palestine before the creation of Israel, and we will stay," he said. "Denying that Palestinians could be blond reflects the racism in Israeli society."
Ahed has been celebrated by Palestinians as a national hero, and Israel's treatment of her has drawn the attention of international activists, human rights groups and UN officials.
In the December 15 video, she is seen approaching two soldiers standing outside her home. She yells at them, tells them to leave, then kicks and slaps them as they stand silently.
The family says the girl was upset because a young cousin had been shot in the head and seriously wounded with a rubber bullet fired by Israeli troops. But the altercation drew outrage in Israel over what some had seen as a humiliation of the military.
In a reflection of tensions, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered the popular Army Radio station to ban any songs composed by Yehonatan Geffen, a leading journalist and songwriter, because of a poem he published that praised Ahed. The attorney general ruled that Lieberman has no authority over the station's programming.
Defense Minister Lieberman was then criticized by Geffen's two children, Shira and Aviv, who wrote a poem and an open letter respectively blasting him for his treatment of their father and political positions.
Opposition lawmaker Nachman Shai (Zionist Union), a former chief military spokesman who is often critical of the government, acknowledged that the incident has become part of the war for the "hearts and minds" of people around the world.
But he said Israel had no choice in how to handle the case.
"She does not deserve to return home as if nothing happened," he said. "You cannot ignore it, because that will cause other Palestinians to follow her."
Tamimi was arrested in an overnight raid on December 19, and her mother was arrested when she visited her daughter at a police station.
An Israeli military court has ordered they both be held for the duration of their trial—a process that is expected to take months. Ahed has been charged with 12 counts of attacking soldiers in five incidents going back to April 2016, while her mother has been charged with incitement. A cousin arrested with Ahed has been released on bail.
The family lawyer, Gaby Lasky, said the trial is scheduled to begin on January 31, Ahed's 17th birthday. She said she was hopeful prosecutors would not seek the maximum 14-year sentence for the girl and would agree to a reduced sentence of several months.
Asked about Oren's investigation, she said she was "ashamed" to hear a parliamentary committee was dealing with "wild conspiracy theories."
Israel’s Salem military court extended the detention of two injured Palestinian children until January 30.
Mohamed Haj Mohamed and Ahmed Zaqzouq, both aged 15 and held at Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, have had their remand extended.
The two children were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces on January 23 after they were shot and injured near Zaatara military checkpoint, south of Nablus province.
An Israeli court in Occupied Jerusalem also ruled for extending the detention of four Palestinians, aged between 17 and 19, until Sunday.
The Israeli police spokesman claimed the four boys were arrested after they targeted Israeli guards with fireworks.
Mohamed Haj Mohamed and Ahmed Zaqzouq, both aged 15 and held at Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, have had their remand extended.
The two children were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces on January 23 after they were shot and injured near Zaatara military checkpoint, south of Nablus province.
An Israeli court in Occupied Jerusalem also ruled for extending the detention of four Palestinians, aged between 17 and 19, until Sunday.
The Israeli police spokesman claimed the four boys were arrested after they targeted Israeli guards with fireworks.
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Thursday morning, Sa’ir town, east of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and shot a Palestinian teen with a live round, before abducting him.
Media sources in Hebron said the soldiers stormed and ransacked many homes and shops, in several neighborhoods in the town.
The soldiers also invaded Beit Einoun area, shot Ahmad Issa Shalalda, 16, with a live round in his leg, and abducted him.
The teen was shot after the soldiers attacked with live fire, rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs, dozens of Palestinians, who protested the invasion.
In addition, the soldiers installed roadblocks on main roads leading to villages and towns near Road #60, used by colonialist settlers and the military.
The soldiers also stopped and searched many cars and interrogated many Palestinians while inspecting their ID cards.
In related news, the soldiers abducted a young Palestinian man from the al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
It is worth mentioning that the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has reported that the soldiers abducted fourteen Palestinians, in various parts of the West Bank.
Besides Shalalda, four of the abducted Palestinians have been identified as Nidal Sa’id Sbeih, 25, and Abdullah Awad ‘Obeyyat, from Bethlehem, Dia’ al-Aghbar from Nablus, and Fayez Sa’id Dar Doura from Beit Liqya, southwest of Ramallah.
Media sources in Hebron said the soldiers stormed and ransacked many homes and shops, in several neighborhoods in the town.
The soldiers also invaded Beit Einoun area, shot Ahmad Issa Shalalda, 16, with a live round in his leg, and abducted him.
The teen was shot after the soldiers attacked with live fire, rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs, dozens of Palestinians, who protested the invasion.
In addition, the soldiers installed roadblocks on main roads leading to villages and towns near Road #60, used by colonialist settlers and the military.
The soldiers also stopped and searched many cars and interrogated many Palestinians while inspecting their ID cards.
In related news, the soldiers abducted a young Palestinian man from the al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
It is worth mentioning that the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has reported that the soldiers abducted fourteen Palestinians, in various parts of the West Bank.
Besides Shalalda, four of the abducted Palestinians have been identified as Nidal Sa’id Sbeih, 25, and Abdullah Awad ‘Obeyyat, from Bethlehem, Dia’ al-Aghbar from Nablus, and Fayez Sa’id Dar Doura from Beit Liqya, southwest of Ramallah.
24 jan 2018
Israeli Minister of Defense, Avigdor Lieberman has reportedly instructed the state-run “Army Radio” to halt any future broadcasts of Israeli poet and songwriter Yehonatan Geffen, calling the poet’s work ‘sickening and outrageous’.
On Monday night, Geffen released a short poem to his Instagram account in which he compared imprisoned Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi to famed Jewish holocaust victim Anne Frank, David of the Biblical David and Goliath, and historic war hero and Catholic Saint, Joan of Arc.
“A pretty girl 17 years old did a terrible thing,” Geffen’s poem reads. “…on the day that the story of the struggle will be told – you, Ahed Tamimi… You will be in the same ranks as Joan of Arc, Chana Senesh and Anne Frank.”
In a fiery Facebook post, Liebermann condemned the poem and called on Israeli media to boycott the 70-year-old poet, according to the PNN.
“The State of Israel will not give a stage to a drunk comparing a girl who perished in the Holocaust and a heroine fighter who fought against the Nazi regime to Ahad Tamimi,” said Liebermann.
Liebermann was quickly rebuffed by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, however, who refuted Liebermann’s legal authority to interfere with the Army Radio broadcast.
“The legal authority to determine the content of the station’s broadcasts is only in the hands of its professional officials,” said Mandelbit.
The position of Army Radio Commander is appointed by the Ministry of Defense, and whose current commander, Commander Shimon Elkabetz, Lieberman called on directly, to see Geffen banned, according to his Facebook post.
Born in Moldova, Avigdor Lieberman is one of the only foreign ministers in the world who does not live in territory officially recognized as his own country. Originally under suspicion over charges of money-laundering and bribery, Lieberman was formally indicted in December of 2012, on lesser charges of fraud and breach of trust.
His party was recently the focus of a corruption probe within the Israeli political spectrum, and, more recently, Lieberman’s life was threatened with an assassination attempt.
This is not the first time Geffen has been embroiled in controversy. In 2015, Geffen was the victim of a home invasion after a series of posts likened the re-election of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Nakba.
Search IMEMC: “Nakba”
On Monday night, Geffen released a short poem to his Instagram account in which he compared imprisoned Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi to famed Jewish holocaust victim Anne Frank, David of the Biblical David and Goliath, and historic war hero and Catholic Saint, Joan of Arc.
“A pretty girl 17 years old did a terrible thing,” Geffen’s poem reads. “…on the day that the story of the struggle will be told – you, Ahed Tamimi… You will be in the same ranks as Joan of Arc, Chana Senesh and Anne Frank.”
In a fiery Facebook post, Liebermann condemned the poem and called on Israeli media to boycott the 70-year-old poet, according to the PNN.
“The State of Israel will not give a stage to a drunk comparing a girl who perished in the Holocaust and a heroine fighter who fought against the Nazi regime to Ahad Tamimi,” said Liebermann.
Liebermann was quickly rebuffed by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, however, who refuted Liebermann’s legal authority to interfere with the Army Radio broadcast.
“The legal authority to determine the content of the station’s broadcasts is only in the hands of its professional officials,” said Mandelbit.
The position of Army Radio Commander is appointed by the Ministry of Defense, and whose current commander, Commander Shimon Elkabetz, Lieberman called on directly, to see Geffen banned, according to his Facebook post.
Born in Moldova, Avigdor Lieberman is one of the only foreign ministers in the world who does not live in territory officially recognized as his own country. Originally under suspicion over charges of money-laundering and bribery, Lieberman was formally indicted in December of 2012, on lesser charges of fraud and breach of trust.
His party was recently the focus of a corruption probe within the Israeli political spectrum, and, more recently, Lieberman’s life was threatened with an assassination attempt.
This is not the first time Geffen has been embroiled in controversy. In 2015, Geffen was the victim of a home invasion after a series of posts likened the re-election of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Nakba.
Search IMEMC: “Nakba”
Israeli police forces arrested Wednesday afternoon a number of Palestinian workers after car chase in Issawiya town, northeast of occupied Jerusalem.
According to the PIC reporter, Isaeli police chased a car driving into the town while a helicopter was hovering over the scene.
The passengers, who were later identified as Palestinian workers, were detained after they barricaded themselves in a local kindergarten.
The car was also confiscated.
Meanwhile, violent clashes broke out when Israeli police attacked local students with teargas bombs while leaving their schools in the town.
Two students were detained during the clashes. Video
According to the PIC reporter, Isaeli police chased a car driving into the town while a helicopter was hovering over the scene.
The passengers, who were later identified as Palestinian workers, were detained after they barricaded themselves in a local kindergarten.
The car was also confiscated.
Meanwhile, violent clashes broke out when Israeli police attacked local students with teargas bombs while leaving their schools in the town.
Two students were detained during the clashes. Video
A Palestinian young man on Wednesday was shot and injured right in the neck by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) who opened fire at him in al-Hode area to the west of Burqah town north of the West Bank city of Nablus.
The PIC reporter said that the wounded was only 15 years old and that he was identified as Muhy al-Din Salah. IOF soldiers shot him while he was along with other boys in the area.
The wounded boy was transferred to Rafidiya Hospital in the city after he was seriously injured in his neck, the PIC reporter pointed out.
The PIC reporter said that the wounded was only 15 years old and that he was identified as Muhy al-Din Salah. IOF soldiers shot him while he was along with other boys in the area.
The wounded boy was transferred to Rafidiya Hospital in the city after he was seriously injured in his neck, the PIC reporter pointed out.
At least 34 Palestinian female detainees have been subjected to abject conditions of captivity in the Iraeli HaSharon lock-up.
According to the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners’ Commission, the list of detainees includes Shatila Abu Eyada and Shourouq Dweiyat, both sentenced to 16 years. Also figuring on the list area Maysoun al-Jebali, serving 15 years in prison; Nourhen Awad, serving 13 years and a half; Israa Ja’abis, serving 11 years; Rawan Dar Abu Matar, serving nine years; and Marah Bakir, sentenced to eight years and a half.
Also among the detainees are eight minors, including Malak Salman, sentenced to ten years; Manar Shweiki, sentenced to six years; Lamia al-Burki, sentenced to three years and three months; and Hadiya Areinat, serving three years.
According to the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners’ Commission, the list of detainees includes Shatila Abu Eyada and Shourouq Dweiyat, both sentenced to 16 years. Also figuring on the list area Maysoun al-Jebali, serving 15 years in prison; Nourhen Awad, serving 13 years and a half; Israa Ja’abis, serving 11 years; Rawan Dar Abu Matar, serving nine years; and Marah Bakir, sentenced to eight years and a half.
Also among the detainees are eight minors, including Malak Salman, sentenced to ten years; Manar Shweiki, sentenced to six years; Lamia al-Burki, sentenced to three years and three months; and Hadiya Areinat, serving three years.
23 jan 2018
Israeli soldiers shot, Tuesday, two Palestinians near Za’tara military roadblock, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, after they reportedly attempted to stab them, and refused to allow Red Crescent medics to provide them with the needed medical attention.
Update: The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that the two injured Palestinians are children, identified as Mohammad Farhan Mohammad, 14, and Ahmad Sa’id Zazouq, 14, from the al-Jadeeda village, south of Jenin.
Both were shot with live rounds in their legs and remained bleeding on the ground after the soldiers prevented Palestinian Red Crescent medics from approaching them.
The soldiers later called for an Israeli ambulance, and moved them to a hospital, while the extent of their injuries remained unknown.
Media sources in Nablus said the two Palestinians were shot in the lower extremities, and remained bleeding on the ground until an Israeli ambulance was called to the scene, even though Palestinian medics were there, but the soldiers refused to allow them to approach the wounded.
Israeli sources claimed that the two Palestinians attempted to stab the soldiers at the military roadblock but were shot before reaching them.
The soldiers then closed Za’tara roadblock, while dozens of units were deployed in the area and around it.
After the alleged stabbing attempt, the head of the so-called Regional Council of Settlements in northern West Bank, Yossi Dagan, said that “terrorism will not deter Israel – we will be and continue to expand,” and demanded Israel to respond to this incident by “boosting settlement constructions” in the occupied West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.
Update: The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that the two injured Palestinians are children, identified as Mohammad Farhan Mohammad, 14, and Ahmad Sa’id Zazouq, 14, from the al-Jadeeda village, south of Jenin.
Both were shot with live rounds in their legs and remained bleeding on the ground after the soldiers prevented Palestinian Red Crescent medics from approaching them.
The soldiers later called for an Israeli ambulance, and moved them to a hospital, while the extent of their injuries remained unknown.
Media sources in Nablus said the two Palestinians were shot in the lower extremities, and remained bleeding on the ground until an Israeli ambulance was called to the scene, even though Palestinian medics were there, but the soldiers refused to allow them to approach the wounded.
Israeli sources claimed that the two Palestinians attempted to stab the soldiers at the military roadblock but were shot before reaching them.
The soldiers then closed Za’tara roadblock, while dozens of units were deployed in the area and around it.
After the alleged stabbing attempt, the head of the so-called Regional Council of Settlements in northern West Bank, Yossi Dagan, said that “terrorism will not deter Israel – we will be and continue to expand,” and demanded Israel to respond to this incident by “boosting settlement constructions” in the occupied West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Tuesday evening, three Palestinians, including two children, at the northern entrance of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, and near Husan village, west of Bethlehem.
Media sources in Bethlehem said the soldiers abducted two children, identified as Mohammad Adel Mahmoud, 14, and Ahmad Khader Shamali, from the al-Azzam refugee camp, north of Bethlehem.
The two were abducted after the soldiers used excessive force against dozens of protesters and fired many gas bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets at them.
In addition, the soldiers abducted Malek Daoud Abu Arab, 19, from Battir town, west of Bethlehem, while working at a gas station on the main road leading Husan nearby village.
Media sources in Bethlehem said the soldiers abducted two children, identified as Mohammad Adel Mahmoud, 14, and Ahmad Khader Shamali, from the al-Azzam refugee camp, north of Bethlehem.
The two were abducted after the soldiers used excessive force against dozens of protesters and fired many gas bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets at them.
In addition, the soldiers abducted Malek Daoud Abu Arab, 19, from Battir town, west of Bethlehem, while working at a gas station on the main road leading Husan nearby village.
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Tuesday at dawn, six Palestinian children, and a young man, from their homes, in occupied East Jerusalem, and moved them to interrogation centers in the city.
Lawyer Mohammad Mahmoud of Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic), said the soldiers invaded and searched many homes in at-Tour neighborhood, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem, and abducted four children.
He said that the abducted children have been identified as Amir Hazem Sayyad, 16, Mohammad Mahmoud Abu al-Hawa, 14, Mohammad Tareq Abu Ghannam, 14, and Yazan Salfiti, 14.
Furthermore, the soldiers invaded Silwan town, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and abducted Mohammad Fayez Rajabi, 15, and Harbi Nidal Rajabi, 15.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers also abducted a young man, identified as Mohammad Shamasna, from his home in Beit Hanina neighborhood, north of Jerusalem.
On Monday, the soldiers abducted a Palestinian woman, identified as Ghada Zghayyar, from Bab al-‘Amoud area, in Jerusalem, after the army attacked many women who protested the visit of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
Lawyer Mohammad Mahmoud of Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic), said the soldiers invaded and searched many homes in at-Tour neighborhood, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem, and abducted four children.
He said that the abducted children have been identified as Amir Hazem Sayyad, 16, Mohammad Mahmoud Abu al-Hawa, 14, Mohammad Tareq Abu Ghannam, 14, and Yazan Salfiti, 14.
Furthermore, the soldiers invaded Silwan town, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and abducted Mohammad Fayez Rajabi, 15, and Harbi Nidal Rajabi, 15.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers also abducted a young man, identified as Mohammad Shamasna, from his home in Beit Hanina neighborhood, north of Jerusalem.
On Monday, the soldiers abducted a Palestinian woman, identified as Ghada Zghayyar, from Bab al-‘Amoud area, in Jerusalem, after the army attacked many women who protested the visit of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
22 jan 2018
Amnesty International called on Israeli authorities to release the 16-year-old Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi who could face up to 10 years in prison over an altercation with Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank last month.
Ahed Tamimi will go before Ofer military court in the occupied West Bank accused of aggravated assault and 11 other charges after a video showing her shoving, slapping and kicking two Israeli soldiers in her home village of Nabi Saleh on 15 December went viral on Facebook.
“Nothing that Ahed Tamimi has done can justify the continuing detention of a 16-year-old girl. The Israeli authorities must release her without delay. In capturing an unarmed teenage girl’s assault on two armed soldiers wearing protective gear, the footage of this incident shows that she posed no actual threat and that her punishment is blatantly disproportionate,” said Magdalena Mughrabi, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
“Ahed Tamimi’s ensuing arrest and military trial exposes the Israeli authorities’ discriminatory treatment of Palestinian children who dare to stand up to ongoing, often brutal, repression by occupying forces.”
Ahed Tamimi was arrested on 19 December along with her mother, Nariman Tamimi, and cousin Nour Tamimi after Nariman, also a prominent activist, posted the footage online. Ahed confronted the soldiers amid a demonstration in Nabi Saleh against US President Donald Trump’s recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
On 1 January, Ahed and Nariman were both charged with aggravated assault of soldiers and preventing soldiers from carrying out their duties.
Ahed now faces a total of 12 charges, also including incitement on social media and offences related to five other altercations with Israeli soldiers she is alleged to have taken part in over the past two years.
Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Israel is a state party, the arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child must be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time.
“Israel is clearly, brazenly flouting its obligations under international law to protect children from overly harsh criminal punishments,” said Magdalena Mughrabi.
“It would be an unconscionable travesty of justice if Ahed Tamini’s act of defiance in the face of relentless oppression earns her a long prison sentence after a trial in a military court that does not ensure basic fair trial standards.”
According to Defense for Children Palestine (DCI), approximately 500-700 Palestinian children from the occupied West Bank are prosecuted every year through Israeli juvenile military courts under Israeli military orders.
Ahed Tamimi will go before Ofer military court in the occupied West Bank accused of aggravated assault and 11 other charges after a video showing her shoving, slapping and kicking two Israeli soldiers in her home village of Nabi Saleh on 15 December went viral on Facebook.
“Nothing that Ahed Tamimi has done can justify the continuing detention of a 16-year-old girl. The Israeli authorities must release her without delay. In capturing an unarmed teenage girl’s assault on two armed soldiers wearing protective gear, the footage of this incident shows that she posed no actual threat and that her punishment is blatantly disproportionate,” said Magdalena Mughrabi, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
“Ahed Tamimi’s ensuing arrest and military trial exposes the Israeli authorities’ discriminatory treatment of Palestinian children who dare to stand up to ongoing, often brutal, repression by occupying forces.”
Ahed Tamimi was arrested on 19 December along with her mother, Nariman Tamimi, and cousin Nour Tamimi after Nariman, also a prominent activist, posted the footage online. Ahed confronted the soldiers amid a demonstration in Nabi Saleh against US President Donald Trump’s recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
On 1 January, Ahed and Nariman were both charged with aggravated assault of soldiers and preventing soldiers from carrying out their duties.
Ahed now faces a total of 12 charges, also including incitement on social media and offences related to five other altercations with Israeli soldiers she is alleged to have taken part in over the past two years.
Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Israel is a state party, the arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child must be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time.
“Israel is clearly, brazenly flouting its obligations under international law to protect children from overly harsh criminal punishments,” said Magdalena Mughrabi.
“It would be an unconscionable travesty of justice if Ahed Tamini’s act of defiance in the face of relentless oppression earns her a long prison sentence after a trial in a military court that does not ensure basic fair trial standards.”
According to Defense for Children Palestine (DCI), approximately 500-700 Palestinian children from the occupied West Bank are prosecuted every year through Israeli juvenile military courts under Israeli military orders.
A group of undercover Israeli soldiers attacked, Monday, three schoolchildren in Kafr Malek village, east of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and briefly detained them.
Media sources said the undercover soldiers attacked the three children, identified as Ali Khalil Ka’abna, 10, Anas Younis Abu Ein, 7, and Salem Khaled Abu Ghorra, and tried to abduct them.
They added that the soldiers claimed that the children hurled stones at army vehicles driving on a nearby bypass road.
The three children are from a nearby Bedouin area, and attend school in Kafr Malek; the undercover soldiers attacked them while waiting for the bus to go back home.
Many women from the village managed to convince the soldiers to release the children. Video
Media sources said the undercover soldiers attacked the three children, identified as Ali Khalil Ka’abna, 10, Anas Younis Abu Ein, 7, and Salem Khaled Abu Ghorra, and tried to abduct them.
They added that the soldiers claimed that the children hurled stones at army vehicles driving on a nearby bypass road.
The three children are from a nearby Bedouin area, and attend school in Kafr Malek; the undercover soldiers attacked them while waiting for the bus to go back home.
Many women from the village managed to convince the soldiers to release the children. Video
Palestinian medical sources have reported, Monday, that a woman and her son were injured after a group of fanatic Israeli colonists invaded their home in the al-Mo’arrajat area, near Jericho, in the occupied West Bank.
The sources added that dozens of colonizers invaded Bedouin dwellings, before many broke into the Palestinian home, and repeatedly assaulted the mother and her son, causing various cuts and bruises.
The Israeli assailants also caused excessive damage to furniture and belongings, before fleeing the area.
In related news, a Palestinian child, identified as Najma Arafat Odah, 13, was injured after an Israeli colonizer rammed her with his car in Huwwara town, south of Nablus, and fled the scene.
The sources added that dozens of colonizers invaded Bedouin dwellings, before many broke into the Palestinian home, and repeatedly assaulted the mother and her son, causing various cuts and bruises.
The Israeli assailants also caused excessive damage to furniture and belongings, before fleeing the area.
In related news, a Palestinian child, identified as Najma Arafat Odah, 13, was injured after an Israeli colonizer rammed her with his car in Huwwara town, south of Nablus, and fled the scene.
20 jan 2018
The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Saturday submitted an official request to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Israeli crimes against the Palestinian children.
The PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki called on the ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to exercise her legal power to prevent the Israeli occupation from committing further crimes against the Palestinian children, the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, said.
Al-Maliki highlighted in his request the case of the 16-year-old Ahed al-Tamimi who has been detained in Israeli jails since 19th December 2017 in a clear violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
He stressed that these violations fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC based on the Rome Statute.
The Palestinian minister said that these systematic crimes are part of Israel's apartheid regime imposed on the Palestinian people.
Al-Maliki called for taking all possible steps to lift immunity of the Israeli leaders and protect Palestinian children and civilians.
According to official Palestinian statistics, there are nearly 7,000 Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli jails including 400 minors, 450 administrative detainees and 12 MPs.
The PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki called on the ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to exercise her legal power to prevent the Israeli occupation from committing further crimes against the Palestinian children, the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, said.
Al-Maliki highlighted in his request the case of the 16-year-old Ahed al-Tamimi who has been detained in Israeli jails since 19th December 2017 in a clear violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
He stressed that these violations fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC based on the Rome Statute.
The Palestinian minister said that these systematic crimes are part of Israel's apartheid regime imposed on the Palestinian people.
Al-Maliki called for taking all possible steps to lift immunity of the Israeli leaders and protect Palestinian children and civilians.
According to official Palestinian statistics, there are nearly 7,000 Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli jails including 400 minors, 450 administrative detainees and 12 MPs.
19 jan 2018
An Israeli military court, on Wednesday, ordered 16-year-old Palestinian activist Ahed al-Tamimi to remain in custody indefinitely, until she faces trial for a number of charges relating to a video of her slapping and kicking an Israeli soldier.
The teenager was arrested on December 19, days after the video of her confrontation with the soldiers — who were raiding her hometown of Nabi Saleh, in the central occupied West Bank, and had shot her 14-year-old cousin in the face moments before the video was filmed — went viral on social media.
Now, nearly a month later, al-Tamimi has had her detention extended several times until, on Wednesday, Israel’s Ofer military court refused her lawyers’ request for bail.
During the hearing, the judge reportedly said that they could not grant the teenager bail because she was “too dangerous.”
The court also ruled to indefinitely extend the detention of Ahed’s mother, Nariman, who was detained a day after her daughter. Nariman is being charged with “incitement” for live-streaming the video.
Ahed is being charged on 12 counts, including assaulting an Israeli soldier, interfering with a soldier’s duties, and two past instances of stone throwing — which can carry up to 10 years in Israeli prison.
Since Ahed and Nariman’s arrest, Ahed’s cousin Nour was arrested — she was recently released — her aunt was detained, and recently one of her cousins was detained in an overnight raid.
Earlier this month, Ahed’s distant cousin Musaab al-Tamimi, from Nabi Saleh’s sister village of Deir Nitham, was shot and killed by Israeli forces.
The Tamimi family of Nabi Saleh is well known, internationally, for their activism against the Israeli occupation, which maintains a heavy, near-constant presence in their village.
Ahed Tamimi is famous across Palestine and the Arab world for videos of her, since her childhood, defiantly resisting Israeli soldiers who clash with Palestinians in her village nearly every week.
Two years ago, her family made headlines when an Israeli soldier violently attempted to arrest her younger brother, who had one arm in a cast at the time. Ahed and her mother manager to pull the soldier of her brother and free him.
Since her arrest, Ahed has become the subject of dozens of solidarity campaigns across the world demanding her release from Israeli prison, and an end to Israeli detention of Palestinian children.
According to Palestinian prisoners rights group Addameer, 6,171 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prison as of December, 350 of whom are children.
The teenager was arrested on December 19, days after the video of her confrontation with the soldiers — who were raiding her hometown of Nabi Saleh, in the central occupied West Bank, and had shot her 14-year-old cousin in the face moments before the video was filmed — went viral on social media.
Now, nearly a month later, al-Tamimi has had her detention extended several times until, on Wednesday, Israel’s Ofer military court refused her lawyers’ request for bail.
During the hearing, the judge reportedly said that they could not grant the teenager bail because she was “too dangerous.”
The court also ruled to indefinitely extend the detention of Ahed’s mother, Nariman, who was detained a day after her daughter. Nariman is being charged with “incitement” for live-streaming the video.
Ahed is being charged on 12 counts, including assaulting an Israeli soldier, interfering with a soldier’s duties, and two past instances of stone throwing — which can carry up to 10 years in Israeli prison.
Since Ahed and Nariman’s arrest, Ahed’s cousin Nour was arrested — she was recently released — her aunt was detained, and recently one of her cousins was detained in an overnight raid.
Earlier this month, Ahed’s distant cousin Musaab al-Tamimi, from Nabi Saleh’s sister village of Deir Nitham, was shot and killed by Israeli forces.
The Tamimi family of Nabi Saleh is well known, internationally, for their activism against the Israeli occupation, which maintains a heavy, near-constant presence in their village.
Ahed Tamimi is famous across Palestine and the Arab world for videos of her, since her childhood, defiantly resisting Israeli soldiers who clash with Palestinians in her village nearly every week.
Two years ago, her family made headlines when an Israeli soldier violently attempted to arrest her younger brother, who had one arm in a cast at the time. Ahed and her mother manager to pull the soldier of her brother and free him.
Since her arrest, Ahed has become the subject of dozens of solidarity campaigns across the world demanding her release from Israeli prison, and an end to Israeli detention of Palestinian children.
According to Palestinian prisoners rights group Addameer, 6,171 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prison as of December, 350 of whom are children.
18 jan 2018
Israeli soldiers invaded, Thursday, the al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, and summoned a child, only nine years of age, for interrogation in the nearby Etzion military base and security center.
The soldiers also invaded Qalqilia, in northern West Bank, and abducted a young man.
The Bethlehem office of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) said the soldiers invaded the home of Ahmad Salah, and searched the property, before summoning his child, Ahmad, 9, for interrogation.
It added that the army has recently summoned for interrogation many children in al-Khader, including a 10 year of age boy, just two days ago.
In addition, the soldiers invaded Qalqilia city, and abducted Ahmad Qawwas, 24, after violently searching his home, and confiscated his laptop.
The soldiers also invaded Qalqilia, in northern West Bank, and abducted a young man.
The Bethlehem office of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) said the soldiers invaded the home of Ahmad Salah, and searched the property, before summoning his child, Ahmad, 9, for interrogation.
It added that the army has recently summoned for interrogation many children in al-Khader, including a 10 year of age boy, just two days ago.
In addition, the soldiers invaded Qalqilia city, and abducted Ahmad Qawwas, 24, after violently searching his home, and confiscated his laptop.
