25 feb 2011
Israeli troops kill Palestinian infant
Israeli troops have attacked a peaceful Palestinian protest rally in an East al-Quds (Jerusalem) neighborhood, killing a three-month-old infant.
The three-month-old female infant died after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli police in the Silwan neighborhood. Israeli police also fired rubber bullets during clashes with Palestinian protesters.
Palestinians hold weekly protest rallies in Silwan against Tel Aviv's harsh policies towards Palestinians following the Friday Prayers.
Elsewhere in the occupied territories, Israeli forces also fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Palestinian and international activists in the West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron), wounding at least nine people.
Several Palestinian protesters were also arrested.
Protesters were marking the 17th anniversary of the massacre of 29 Palestinians by a Jewish extremist in the city when they were attacked by Israeli troops.
Protesters were also calling for the reopening of one of the city's main streets, which Israel closed off to Palestinians following the 1994 massacre in the region.
The protesters also voiced support for the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions and condemned Washington's policy toward the expansion of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian lands.
The three-month-old female infant died after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli police in the Silwan neighborhood. Israeli police also fired rubber bullets during clashes with Palestinian protesters.
Palestinians hold weekly protest rallies in Silwan against Tel Aviv's harsh policies towards Palestinians following the Friday Prayers.
Elsewhere in the occupied territories, Israeli forces also fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Palestinian and international activists in the West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron), wounding at least nine people.
Several Palestinian protesters were also arrested.
Protesters were marking the 17th anniversary of the massacre of 29 Palestinians by a Jewish extremist in the city when they were attacked by Israeli troops.
Protesters were also calling for the reopening of one of the city's main streets, which Israel closed off to Palestinians following the 1994 massacre in the region.
The protesters also voiced support for the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions and condemned Washington's policy toward the expansion of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian lands.
Clashes Continue in Silwan
Confrontations erupted on Thursday evening between Israeli forces and Palestinian residents of the East Jerusalem village of Silwan,
Violence was concentrated in the Baten al-Hawa area, where Israeli soldiers have been occupying the roof of a Palestinian residence for over six months now.
Dozens of residents suffered the asphyxiating effects of tear gas inhalation when fired by Israeli troops. Youths threw Molotov cocktails at soldiers in response.
This makeshift military base has been a point of contention and scene of violence on many occasions, with clashes erupting in the past when it had been previously set on fire.
Meanwhile in the Bir Ayyub district, which is also in Silwan, an Israeli military jeep was torched during clashes. Live ammunition has been used by Israeli forces and the atmosphere throughout the village is extremely tense.
Violence was concentrated in the Baten al-Hawa area, where Israeli soldiers have been occupying the roof of a Palestinian residence for over six months now.
Dozens of residents suffered the asphyxiating effects of tear gas inhalation when fired by Israeli troops. Youths threw Molotov cocktails at soldiers in response.
This makeshift military base has been a point of contention and scene of violence on many occasions, with clashes erupting in the past when it had been previously set on fire.
Meanwhile in the Bir Ayyub district, which is also in Silwan, an Israeli military jeep was torched during clashes. Live ammunition has been used by Israeli forces and the atmosphere throughout the village is extremely tense.
24 febr 2011
Israeli Military Abducts Two Children in Hebron
On Thursday morning, the Israeli soldiers abducted two Palestinian children from the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, and searched several houses.
Mohammad Awad, Media spokesman for the Palestinian Solidarity Project, stated that the Israeli occupation abducted Omar Alkam,15 years old, and Mohanad Sabarna,17, after invading their houses and ransacking their belongings.
Security Sources reported to Palestine News Agency WAFA, that the Israeli military invaded the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, and searched many houses. These houses belong to Ismael abu Sobha, Mohamad Moghnem, Ibrahim al-Hlais and Adel Nassar.
Furthermore, the Israeli army invaded Hebron, town of Halhoul, Sa`er, al-Fawwar Refugee Camp; stopped Palestinian citizens vehicles and checked the identities of Passengers.
Mohammad Awad, Media spokesman for the Palestinian Solidarity Project, stated that the Israeli occupation abducted Omar Alkam,15 years old, and Mohanad Sabarna,17, after invading their houses and ransacking their belongings.
Security Sources reported to Palestine News Agency WAFA, that the Israeli military invaded the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, and searched many houses. These houses belong to Ismael abu Sobha, Mohamad Moghnem, Ibrahim al-Hlais and Adel Nassar.
Furthermore, the Israeli army invaded Hebron, town of Halhoul, Sa`er, al-Fawwar Refugee Camp; stopped Palestinian citizens vehicles and checked the identities of Passengers.
Dozens treated for breathing problems in Shufat night clashes
Dozens of Palestinian young men were treated for breathing difficulty in Shufat refugee camp, occupied Jerusalem, on Wednesday night after Israeli forces used teargas in abundance against them.
Local sources said that the Israeli troops closed down the camp's entrance for a few hours before traffic and movement of citizens going in and out of it.
They added that large numbers of army troops were still positioned at the outskirts of the camp by Thursday morning, spreading fears of a possible large scale incursion.
In the West Bank, Jewish settlers threw stones and empty bottles on Wednesday at Palestinian vehicles passing along the road leading to northern Ramallah villages and to Salfit.
Witnesses reported that a number of cars were damaged but no casualties were suffered.
Local sources said that the Israeli troops closed down the camp's entrance for a few hours before traffic and movement of citizens going in and out of it.
They added that large numbers of army troops were still positioned at the outskirts of the camp by Thursday morning, spreading fears of a possible large scale incursion.
In the West Bank, Jewish settlers threw stones and empty bottles on Wednesday at Palestinian vehicles passing along the road leading to northern Ramallah villages and to Salfit.
Witnesses reported that a number of cars were damaged but no casualties were suffered.
23 febr 2011
Palestinian hit by gunfire sent to IDF jail despite injury
Tribunal Judge who ordered the youth to remain in IDF custody says the suspect posed a threat which warranted his continued detention.
A Palestinian youth arrested by the Israel Defense Forces for throwing stones has been remanded to detention in a military jail, despite sustaining a fractured elbow when he was shot by Israeli settlers.
Tribunal Judge Tsvi Frenkel, who ordered the youth to remain in IDF custody until his case is heard in court, said the suspect posed a threat which warranted his continued detention.
The incident occurred on January 28, when a group of Israelis went hiking near the Palestinian village of Beit Ummar near Hebron. During the trip, which was not coordinated with the army, the Israelis said they were attacked by gunfire and stones. In response, one of the armed Israelis opened fire, killing a Palestinian and injuring another one.
An IDF investigation did not find any evidence of gunfire in the direction of the Israeli hikers. Police arrested four of the Israelis, who were remanded into custody. Days later, they were released. Authorities do not intend to indict them.
Police officials said that because the bullet allegedly fired by the Israelis was not handed over by the Palestinian police, they could not perform ballistics tests to determine its origin.
Last Thursday, Murad Halil, the young Palestinian wounded in the incident, was summoned to the West Bank police station for questioning. When he arrived, he was informed that he was under arrest for throwing stones a charge Halil denies.
Halil`s lawyer, Nery Ramati, said there was no point in remanding Halil to custody since his right arm is in a cast. The IDF judge disagreed.
Ramati appealed the decision to the appellate tribunal, which ordered Halil to undergo a medical exam that would determine whether he`d be able to throw stones within the next year.
A Palestinian youth arrested by the Israel Defense Forces for throwing stones has been remanded to detention in a military jail, despite sustaining a fractured elbow when he was shot by Israeli settlers.
Tribunal Judge Tsvi Frenkel, who ordered the youth to remain in IDF custody until his case is heard in court, said the suspect posed a threat which warranted his continued detention.
The incident occurred on January 28, when a group of Israelis went hiking near the Palestinian village of Beit Ummar near Hebron. During the trip, which was not coordinated with the army, the Israelis said they were attacked by gunfire and stones. In response, one of the armed Israelis opened fire, killing a Palestinian and injuring another one.
An IDF investigation did not find any evidence of gunfire in the direction of the Israeli hikers. Police arrested four of the Israelis, who were remanded into custody. Days later, they were released. Authorities do not intend to indict them.
Police officials said that because the bullet allegedly fired by the Israelis was not handed over by the Palestinian police, they could not perform ballistics tests to determine its origin.
Last Thursday, Murad Halil, the young Palestinian wounded in the incident, was summoned to the West Bank police station for questioning. When he arrived, he was informed that he was under arrest for throwing stones a charge Halil denies.
Halil`s lawyer, Nery Ramati, said there was no point in remanding Halil to custody since his right arm is in a cast. The IDF judge disagreed.
Ramati appealed the decision to the appellate tribunal, which ordered Halil to undergo a medical exam that would determine whether he`d be able to throw stones within the next year.
Three Palestinian youths injured in Silwan clashes
Three Palestinian young men were injured when clashes broke out between Palestinian young men and Israeli occupation forces in Silwan town, occupied Jerusalem, on Tuesday night.
Local sources said that the Israeli forces intentionally provoked citizens leading to confrontations in which the soldiers fired rubber bullets and teargas canisters while the youth tossed Molotov cocktails at them.
The sources said that the confrontations continued until a late hour on Tuesday night, adding that the Israeli forces sent military units to encircle the town.
An Israeli army spokesman claimed that five firebombs were hurled at police patrols in Silwan at a late hour on Tuesday.
Local sources said that the Israeli forces intentionally provoked citizens leading to confrontations in which the soldiers fired rubber bullets and teargas canisters while the youth tossed Molotov cocktails at them.
The sources said that the confrontations continued until a late hour on Tuesday night, adding that the Israeli forces sent military units to encircle the town.
An Israeli army spokesman claimed that five firebombs were hurled at police patrols in Silwan at a late hour on Tuesday.
Shin Bet investigators sexually assault minor
According to a testimony lawyers took during a visit, a Palestinian minor detained in the Israeli Etzion prisons said Shin Bet investigators attempted to sexually assault him.
After the incident the investigators bargained to release the victim for a confession, the lawyers said, adding that they threatened to sexually assault him another time if he refused to detail the names of individuals who threw stones at Israeli patrol cars.
Israel has detained many Palestinian minors in small cells and denied them the right to family visits, Palestinian sources say.
The majority were arrested while playing in the roads, outside of school or during house raids, the sources add.
Several human rights organizations have confirmed that Israeli investigators and prison authorities have used sexual harassment and psychological pressure against minors.
The sources also say the detained children are neglected medically like the older detainees. There are about 30 ill minors in Israeli prisons.
After the incident the investigators bargained to release the victim for a confession, the lawyers said, adding that they threatened to sexually assault him another time if he refused to detail the names of individuals who threw stones at Israeli patrol cars.
Israel has detained many Palestinian minors in small cells and denied them the right to family visits, Palestinian sources say.
The majority were arrested while playing in the roads, outside of school or during house raids, the sources add.
Several human rights organizations have confirmed that Israeli investigators and prison authorities have used sexual harassment and psychological pressure against minors.
The sources also say the detained children are neglected medically like the older detainees. There are about 30 ill minors in Israeli prisons.
20 febr 2011
Israeli soldiers kidnap student at Hawara checkpoint
The international Tadamun (solidarity) foundation for Human Rights said that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) kidnapped Sunday morning a student of Al-Najah national university at Hawara checkpoint.
Ahmed Al-Betawi, a researcher for the foundation, stated that the troops at this checkpoint, southeast of Nablus city, stopped student Ahmed Al-Khafsh from Marda village on his way to Al-Najah university and rounded him up.
Betawi noted that the student was suffering severe stomach ache and was supposed to go after attending lectures at the university to the national hospital in Nablus for further medical checkups.
He added that the student showed his medical reports, but the soldiers did not care about his condition and took him to Petah Tikva interrogation center.
Ahmed Al-Betawi, a researcher for the foundation, stated that the troops at this checkpoint, southeast of Nablus city, stopped student Ahmed Al-Khafsh from Marda village on his way to Al-Najah university and rounded him up.
Betawi noted that the student was suffering severe stomach ache and was supposed to go after attending lectures at the university to the national hospital in Nablus for further medical checkups.
He added that the student showed his medical reports, but the soldiers did not care about his condition and took him to Petah Tikva interrogation center.
IOF photographs minors amid night raids to identify stone-throwers
The Israeli occupational forces (IOF) raided several homes in the village of Nabi Saleh near Ramallah since the years onset with the sole intent of waking minors living there and filming them, the Israeli B Tselem organization said.
"Israeli forces enter the village s homes at night to photograph minors, B`Tselem said in a recent statement. The soldiers order that anyone over ten years of age is woken, then they take their images and leave.
The organization said at least four such operations had taken place in January 2011.
"Israel uses the photos to later identify people who throw stones during demonstrations that take place every Friday. After that the minors are arrested from their homes at night.
The organization said video taken by its volunteers documents that a 14-year-old boy was arrested and interrogated while his parents were prohibited from accompanying him. The clip reveals how the soldiers rudely treat the childs parents and then proceed to carry out the arrest. The boy remains in detention upon three weeks of the incident.
Hundreds of Palestinian minors are held in Israeli jails in violation of human rights principles and international conventions.
"Israeli forces enter the village s homes at night to photograph minors, B`Tselem said in a recent statement. The soldiers order that anyone over ten years of age is woken, then they take their images and leave.
The organization said at least four such operations had taken place in January 2011.
"Israel uses the photos to later identify people who throw stones during demonstrations that take place every Friday. After that the minors are arrested from their homes at night.
The organization said video taken by its volunteers documents that a 14-year-old boy was arrested and interrogated while his parents were prohibited from accompanying him. The clip reveals how the soldiers rudely treat the childs parents and then proceed to carry out the arrest. The boy remains in detention upon three weeks of the incident.
Hundreds of Palestinian minors are held in Israeli jails in violation of human rights principles and international conventions.
Ten citizens suffer breathing difficulties in clashes with IOF soldiers
Ten Palestinian citizens suffered breathing problems in Deir Al-Ghusun village, north of Tulkarem city, when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at them teargas canisters.
Witnesses reported that clashes broke out on Saturday after the IOF soldiers attacked an anti wall march in the village using rubber bullets and teargas bombs.
Participants chanted anti settlement and anti wall slogans and called for restoring national unity. They also expressed outrage at the US veto against a UN Security Council decision condemning Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
Meanwhile, a number of villagers in Beit Ummar village, north of Al-Khalil, were injured when the IOF troops violently quelled the village s weekly anti wall march on Saturday.
Medical sources said that the soldiers fired gas and sonic bombs at the demonstrators wounding the head of the village s municipal council in his left leg with shrapnel of a stun grenade.
They said that a child was hit with rubber bullets in his foot and hand while many others were treated for breathing problems.
Witnesses reported that clashes broke out on Saturday after the IOF soldiers attacked an anti wall march in the village using rubber bullets and teargas bombs.
Participants chanted anti settlement and anti wall slogans and called for restoring national unity. They also expressed outrage at the US veto against a UN Security Council decision condemning Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
Meanwhile, a number of villagers in Beit Ummar village, north of Al-Khalil, were injured when the IOF troops violently quelled the village s weekly anti wall march on Saturday.
Medical sources said that the soldiers fired gas and sonic bombs at the demonstrators wounding the head of the village s municipal council in his left leg with shrapnel of a stun grenade.
They said that a child was hit with rubber bullets in his foot and hand while many others were treated for breathing problems.
19 febr 2011
Clashes in Jerusalem, Hebron
The East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan witnessed violent confrontations Friday night between its residents and Israeli police.
Palestinians threw stones and empty bottles at the police, and burnt tires in the streets to hold up the movement of police vehicles.
Witnesses told WAFA that police arrested several children and fired dozens of sonic bombs and tear gas, causing multiple cases of suffocation, including an entire family of 15. One family member was hit in the chest by tear gas and a three month old baby suffered severe suffocation from inhaled gas.
Meanwhile, residents of the Bab Hutta area in the Old city of Jerusalem clashed with police forces, who shot tear gas as Palestinian youth threw stones at them. Undercover Israeli police arrested three youths.
Similar clashes occurred in the southern West Bank city of Hebron where a mob of settlers stormed the city and the nearby village of Yatta. The mob threw stones severely hurting one Palestinian in the Sahla area in the center of the old city of Hebron, threatening residents with more violence if they do not leave the sections of the city that are still under Israeli control, according to witnesses.
A resident of Um Al Khair village, near the settlement of Karmiel in the Hebron area, told WAFA that the settlers have systematically attacked the village and harassed its residents.
All Israeli settlements and the settlers who inhabit them are in direct violation of international law, the United Nations Security Council resolutions and the Geneva Conventions.
Palestinians threw stones and empty bottles at the police, and burnt tires in the streets to hold up the movement of police vehicles.
Witnesses told WAFA that police arrested several children and fired dozens of sonic bombs and tear gas, causing multiple cases of suffocation, including an entire family of 15. One family member was hit in the chest by tear gas and a three month old baby suffered severe suffocation from inhaled gas.
Meanwhile, residents of the Bab Hutta area in the Old city of Jerusalem clashed with police forces, who shot tear gas as Palestinian youth threw stones at them. Undercover Israeli police arrested three youths.
Similar clashes occurred in the southern West Bank city of Hebron where a mob of settlers stormed the city and the nearby village of Yatta. The mob threw stones severely hurting one Palestinian in the Sahla area in the center of the old city of Hebron, threatening residents with more violence if they do not leave the sections of the city that are still under Israeli control, according to witnesses.
A resident of Um Al Khair village, near the settlement of Karmiel in the Hebron area, told WAFA that the settlers have systematically attacked the village and harassed its residents.
All Israeli settlements and the settlers who inhabit them are in direct violation of international law, the United Nations Security Council resolutions and the Geneva Conventions.
18 febr 2011
Eight Injured, One Critically, and Seven Arrested as Troops Suppress Anti-Wall Protests
Bethlehem PNN Eight people were injured, one of them critically, and seven were arrested during Friday's anti-wall protests organized in the villages of Bil`in, Ni`lin and al-Nabi Saleh in the central West Bank. The southern West Bank village of al-Ma`ssara also held a protest.
Five were injured in Bil`in where protesters marked the sixth anniversary of the weekly anti-wall protest this Friday. As has been the case every Friday for the past six years, international and Israeli supporters joined the villagers after the midday prayers and marched up to the gate of the wall separating villagers from their lands.
Soldiers sprayed people with Skunk, a dispersal chemical, fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, and tear gas at protesters. Troops also tried to arrest people after spraying pepper-spray in their eyes, but protesters managed to stop the arrest, witnesses told PNN.
Hamza Burant, 18, was critically injured with live rounds, Ahamd Abu Rahma, 16, was hit with a tear gas cannister in the hand, while Kifah Manousr, 30, Fadi Omar, 30, and Abdullah Yassen, 19, sustained minor injuries. Many were treated for tear gas inhalation.
Eyad Burant, head of the local Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, told PNN, Today we march for national unity, we ask our leaders to unite against the occupation. Next year will remove the wall.
In 2007, the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled that the wall in Bil`in is illegal and should be rerouted giving the villagers half of the lands taken to build the wall. The army still refuses to implement the court order.
Also on Friday, three protesters were injured and seven more arrested at the weekly anti-wall and settlement protest in the village of Nabi Saleh. Five of those arrested were Israelis and two Palestinians. The three injured were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets by the army.
In the nearby village of Nil`in, a number of protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. Villagers joined by Israeli and international supporters marched to the wall after midday prayers.
Near Bethlehem, in the southern West Bank, villagers of the Ma`ssara organized their weekly protest against the Israeli wall being built on lands owned by local farmers. The protesters marched after the midday prayers and tried to reach the lands where Israel is building the wall. Soldiers stopped the march at the entrance of the village and forced people back using tear gas. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Five were injured in Bil`in where protesters marked the sixth anniversary of the weekly anti-wall protest this Friday. As has been the case every Friday for the past six years, international and Israeli supporters joined the villagers after the midday prayers and marched up to the gate of the wall separating villagers from their lands.
Soldiers sprayed people with Skunk, a dispersal chemical, fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, and tear gas at protesters. Troops also tried to arrest people after spraying pepper-spray in their eyes, but protesters managed to stop the arrest, witnesses told PNN.
Hamza Burant, 18, was critically injured with live rounds, Ahamd Abu Rahma, 16, was hit with a tear gas cannister in the hand, while Kifah Manousr, 30, Fadi Omar, 30, and Abdullah Yassen, 19, sustained minor injuries. Many were treated for tear gas inhalation.
Eyad Burant, head of the local Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, told PNN, Today we march for national unity, we ask our leaders to unite against the occupation. Next year will remove the wall.
In 2007, the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled that the wall in Bil`in is illegal and should be rerouted giving the villagers half of the lands taken to build the wall. The army still refuses to implement the court order.
Also on Friday, three protesters were injured and seven more arrested at the weekly anti-wall and settlement protest in the village of Nabi Saleh. Five of those arrested were Israelis and two Palestinians. The three injured were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets by the army.
In the nearby village of Nil`in, a number of protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. Villagers joined by Israeli and international supporters marched to the wall after midday prayers.
Near Bethlehem, in the southern West Bank, villagers of the Ma`ssara organized their weekly protest against the Israeli wall being built on lands owned by local farmers. The protesters marched after the midday prayers and tried to reach the lands where Israel is building the wall. Soldiers stopped the march at the entrance of the village and forced people back using tear gas. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
17 febr 2011
Israel coerces Gaza patients to spy
Palestinian patients have kidney dialysis in the kidney department at the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza (file photo).
A human rights group has blamed Israel for violating the rights of Palestinian patients leaving Gaza for medical treatment by intensifying interrogations against them.
Data collected by al-Meezan Center for Human Rights and its international affiliates indicate a rise in the number of Palestinian patients interrogated and forced to provide information in return for a permission to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment, a Press TV correspondent reported on Wednesday.
The center's Sameer Siqqout said that patients have refused to talk to the press for fear of reprisals by Israeli authorities. Many patients and their companions have been arrested after being interviewed by Israeli intelligence agencies, he said.
One patient said that he has cancer and was leaving with his son when he was stopped by Israeli agents who asserted that he could cross the border only if he would spy for them.
A crippling Israeli siege has led to acute shortage of necessary equipment and medicine in the impoverished Gaza hospitals that are faced with a relatively high number of seriously ill patients.
The situation is especially dangerous for chronically ill patients that have to be on medication for extended periods and those requiring emergency operations.
Hundreds of patients in the blockaded Gaza Strip risk an imminent death unless they are provided with badly needed medications.
According to Israeli rights group Betselem, the Tel Aviv regime denies the rights of Gaza residents to seek medical care inside Gaza and to access treatment outside the territory.
Many patients have said that the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) have interrogated and photographed them against their will. Experts say that the Israeli regime also blackmails Gaza patients due to its obsession with security.
Israeli Physicians for Human Rights Organization also blames the ISA for exploiting Gaza patients in exchange for an exit permit.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has expressed alarm that the current shortage of medicine caused by the persisting Israeli blockade has resulted in a serious health crisis for Palestinian patients.
The ministry said that it has voiced concern and has called upon the international community to stand by the patients in the Gaza Strip.
A human rights group has blamed Israel for violating the rights of Palestinian patients leaving Gaza for medical treatment by intensifying interrogations against them.
Data collected by al-Meezan Center for Human Rights and its international affiliates indicate a rise in the number of Palestinian patients interrogated and forced to provide information in return for a permission to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment, a Press TV correspondent reported on Wednesday.
The center's Sameer Siqqout said that patients have refused to talk to the press for fear of reprisals by Israeli authorities. Many patients and their companions have been arrested after being interviewed by Israeli intelligence agencies, he said.
One patient said that he has cancer and was leaving with his son when he was stopped by Israeli agents who asserted that he could cross the border only if he would spy for them.
A crippling Israeli siege has led to acute shortage of necessary equipment and medicine in the impoverished Gaza hospitals that are faced with a relatively high number of seriously ill patients.
The situation is especially dangerous for chronically ill patients that have to be on medication for extended periods and those requiring emergency operations.
Hundreds of patients in the blockaded Gaza Strip risk an imminent death unless they are provided with badly needed medications.
According to Israeli rights group Betselem, the Tel Aviv regime denies the rights of Gaza residents to seek medical care inside Gaza and to access treatment outside the territory.
Many patients have said that the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) have interrogated and photographed them against their will. Experts say that the Israeli regime also blackmails Gaza patients due to its obsession with security.
Israeli Physicians for Human Rights Organization also blames the ISA for exploiting Gaza patients in exchange for an exit permit.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has expressed alarm that the current shortage of medicine caused by the persisting Israeli blockade has resulted in a serious health crisis for Palestinian patients.
The ministry said that it has voiced concern and has called upon the international community to stand by the patients in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian worker wounded in IOF shooting
A Palestinian teen was wounded on Thursday when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at him while collecting gravel east of Gaza Strip.
Adham Abu Salmiya, the medical services spokesman, told the PIC reporter that the 17-year-old youth was hit with a bullet in his left leg.
The IOF shooting and targeting of gravel collecting workers had killed three Palestinians and wounded 128 others since March 2010.
Adham Abu Salmiya, the medical services spokesman, told the PIC reporter that the 17-year-old youth was hit with a bullet in his left leg.
The IOF shooting and targeting of gravel collecting workers had killed three Palestinians and wounded 128 others since March 2010.
14 feb 2011
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Inside the Military Repression of Nabi Saleh: Arrest of Children
The following consolidates two posts from Joseph Dana's blog on Israel's horrifying practice of targetting children in order to quash protest in the West Bank. As the Middle East Children Alliance points out, "In the first two weeks of February 2011, 32 Palestinian children were arrested by Israeli authorities.
This video and report from one village in the West Bank gives the world a glimpse into the real meaning of these numbers.": Above is video from Nabi Saleh, shot a couple of days after the night raids (discussed below). It was taken on a Tuesday morning after Israeli authorities had completed another house raid. As the army and police were leaving, one police van stops and two border police officers jump out. |
11-year-old Kareem Tamimi comes running into the frame, running towards his mother. The camerawoman begins shouting “Child! Child!” in Hebrew to the border police officers to no avail.
The border police officers capture the child, handling him as if he was a fully grown adult. Within seconds he is in the police van and on the way out of the village toward an undisclosed location. His mother’s cries as she slams her hands against the windows of police van are disregarded by the border police officers.
Kareem’s arrest was part of a strategy to apply as much pressure as possible on his 14-year-old brother Islam, who was arrested the previous day in a night raid, in order that Islam will deliver any script that his investigators wanted. The strategy worked, and Kareem was released later the same evening.
After this arrest happened, the army spokespersons unit alerted the media and twitter followers that another ‘wanted suspect’ was taken in for security questioning. They failed to mention that he was an 11-year-old child.
“They come for our woman and our children,” Bassem Tamimi, the leader of the Popular Committee of Nabi Saleh recently told me, “they [the Israeli army] know that woman are half our population and half our strength and so they target them along with the children.” Tamimi, a gentle man with a warm smile spoke to me about the repression of his village as we sat in his home overlooking the settlement of Halamish. “They know where to apply pressure on our resistance. It has become really difficult since the last wave of arrests.”
Israel is devoting maximum effort to the repression of Nabi Saleh’s determination to demonstrate against the Occupation. The specific method of repression has been in development for the past eight years and is not only designed to break the demonstrations but to leave permanent psychological scars on the next generation of Nabi Saleh villagers. In short, children are used to implicate the leaders of the Popular Committee for incitement in demonstrations, providing evidence for their long term incarceration. In the last month, six children have been arrested or detained in Nabi Saleh by the army.
The second two videos embedded in this post were taken in a night raid three weeks ago. The army invaded the village at 03h00, woke everyone up and went from house to house photographing children and recording their ID information. The photographs are complied and used by soldiers in demonstrations to systematically target and arrest the children. Once arrested, children are given a brief interrogation at an undisclosed military base and then returned to the village.
Based on the initial investigation, the General Security Service (Shabak in Hebrew) determines which child is the most susceptible to psychological torture and will most likely implicate the leadership of the popular committee. This unlucky boy is then rearrested, charged with stone throwing (evidence other than confession is usually not provided to back up this charge) and subjected to a much longer interrogation without lawyer or parents present. After two or three children go through this punishment, the army raids the home of the popular committee leaders and they are then imprisoned for between one and three years on charges of incitement. This is what happened to Bil’in’s Abdallah Abu Rahmha, whom the European Union has labeled a human rights defender. He was given a sentence of 16 months for charges of incitement based on the coerced testimony of four children from Bil’in.
14 year old Islam Tamimi, one of the children seen being photographed in a night raid, has been in jail for the past three weeks. Days after the video was shot he was arrested and detained for a number of hours at the Halamish military base. Two days after he was detained, the army raided his home at 02h00 and arrested him. He was left in the cold, blindfolded and bound for the rest of the night and then taken imminently to interrogation without lawyer or parents present. The interrogation lasted eight hours. Incidentally, the day that Tamimi was arrested the IDF Spokespersons office tweeted that ‘a wanted suspect was arrested overnight and taken for security questioning.’ Tamimi is awaiting a trial set to begin on the 14th of February. Israel deiced that he was too dangerous to be released on bail and remains in jail until the hearing.
The language in these videos is short and simple. The scene is eerie in its simplicity. Soldiers enter in the middle of the night, wake everyone up and coldly go about their business. Names are written down along with the ID information. The children are asked to stand for a photograph and the soldiers leave. What you are watching in these videos is a small but crucial component of , in the words of Jonathan Cook, Israel’s ongoing project of human despair.
The border police officers capture the child, handling him as if he was a fully grown adult. Within seconds he is in the police van and on the way out of the village toward an undisclosed location. His mother’s cries as she slams her hands against the windows of police van are disregarded by the border police officers.
Kareem’s arrest was part of a strategy to apply as much pressure as possible on his 14-year-old brother Islam, who was arrested the previous day in a night raid, in order that Islam will deliver any script that his investigators wanted. The strategy worked, and Kareem was released later the same evening.
After this arrest happened, the army spokespersons unit alerted the media and twitter followers that another ‘wanted suspect’ was taken in for security questioning. They failed to mention that he was an 11-year-old child.
“They come for our woman and our children,” Bassem Tamimi, the leader of the Popular Committee of Nabi Saleh recently told me, “they [the Israeli army] know that woman are half our population and half our strength and so they target them along with the children.” Tamimi, a gentle man with a warm smile spoke to me about the repression of his village as we sat in his home overlooking the settlement of Halamish. “They know where to apply pressure on our resistance. It has become really difficult since the last wave of arrests.”
Israel is devoting maximum effort to the repression of Nabi Saleh’s determination to demonstrate against the Occupation. The specific method of repression has been in development for the past eight years and is not only designed to break the demonstrations but to leave permanent psychological scars on the next generation of Nabi Saleh villagers. In short, children are used to implicate the leaders of the Popular Committee for incitement in demonstrations, providing evidence for their long term incarceration. In the last month, six children have been arrested or detained in Nabi Saleh by the army.
The second two videos embedded in this post were taken in a night raid three weeks ago. The army invaded the village at 03h00, woke everyone up and went from house to house photographing children and recording their ID information. The photographs are complied and used by soldiers in demonstrations to systematically target and arrest the children. Once arrested, children are given a brief interrogation at an undisclosed military base and then returned to the village.
Based on the initial investigation, the General Security Service (Shabak in Hebrew) determines which child is the most susceptible to psychological torture and will most likely implicate the leadership of the popular committee. This unlucky boy is then rearrested, charged with stone throwing (evidence other than confession is usually not provided to back up this charge) and subjected to a much longer interrogation without lawyer or parents present. After two or three children go through this punishment, the army raids the home of the popular committee leaders and they are then imprisoned for between one and three years on charges of incitement. This is what happened to Bil’in’s Abdallah Abu Rahmha, whom the European Union has labeled a human rights defender. He was given a sentence of 16 months for charges of incitement based on the coerced testimony of four children from Bil’in.
14 year old Islam Tamimi, one of the children seen being photographed in a night raid, has been in jail for the past three weeks. Days after the video was shot he was arrested and detained for a number of hours at the Halamish military base. Two days after he was detained, the army raided his home at 02h00 and arrested him. He was left in the cold, blindfolded and bound for the rest of the night and then taken imminently to interrogation without lawyer or parents present. The interrogation lasted eight hours. Incidentally, the day that Tamimi was arrested the IDF Spokespersons office tweeted that ‘a wanted suspect was arrested overnight and taken for security questioning.’ Tamimi is awaiting a trial set to begin on the 14th of February. Israel deiced that he was too dangerous to be released on bail and remains in jail until the hearing.
The language in these videos is short and simple. The scene is eerie in its simplicity. Soldiers enter in the middle of the night, wake everyone up and coldly go about their business. Names are written down along with the ID information. The children are asked to stand for a photograph and the soldiers leave. What you are watching in these videos is a small but crucial component of , in the words of Jonathan Cook, Israel’s ongoing project of human despair.
