To view original article, published by Maan News Agency on the 14th September, click here
Gaza – Ma’an – A boat from Yemin with a crew of from around the Arab world will set sail in the wake of the Free Gaza ships and work to widen the cracks in Israel’s siege on Gaza.
Palestinian lawmaker Jamal Al-Khudari who is also head of the Popular Campaign against the Siege announced the voyage of the second ship, which was inspired by the success of the Free Gaza experiment on Sunday.
Al-Khudari spoke with the Secretary General of the National Committee to Support Issues of Arab and Islamic nations Sa’id Abdel Mo’men An’am earlier in the day. An’am said the crew will launch with the permission of the Yemini government and representatives from the popular committee against siege.
“Yemeni people all support the besieged Palestinian people in Gaza,” An’am said, “and we seek to help break the blockade.”
Al-Khudari applauded this step, saying the committee is ready and prepared to coordinate for the boat to cross easily and arrive to the beach of the Gaza Strip. He called this step an important move in continuing the momentum created by the first ship of activists. He applauded the Yeminis for heeding the calls of the popular committee to consider the holy month of Ramadan the “month to break the blockade,” and encouraged other Arab nations to “put words into action” and follow the Yemini’s initiative.
To view original article, published by Haaretz on the 14th September, click here
Dozens of youths from the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar on Sunday established an outpost near a Palestinian village that settlers had rampaged in the previous day.
The settlers were responding Saturday to the stabbing of a 10-year-old Israeli boy by a Palestinian at the illegal outpost of Shalhevet Yam near Yitzhar.
Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared that Israel’s government will not allow settlers to carry out “pogroms against non-Jews.”
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting one day after the rampage in the village of Assira al-Kabaliya, Olmert said “there will not be pogroms against non-Jews in the state of Israel.”
The violence in Assira al-Kabaliya left at least eight Palestinians hurt. The boy, stabbed in the back and the hand, sustained minor wounds.
“The phenomenon of [settlers] taking the law into their own hands and lashing out with violence and brutality is unforgivable, and will be dealt with by the law enforcement authorities,” Olmert said.
The prime minister went on to describe the previous day’s events, saying “in northern Samaria there was a terror attack, and a young boy was hurt. This is serious and momentous and the defense forces will find the culprit and do what needs to be done, as they do every day. However, Yitzhar settlers went on a retaliatory rampage against Palestinian residents, using live fire.”
Olmert went on to say that there was no reason to believe that the Palestinians targeted by the settlers had any connection to the stabbing attack earlier in the day.
“There are law enforcement authorities in the state of Israel,” Olmert told the cabinet, “we have a military and security services and we won’t allow this kind of violence or brutal attacks on civilians. Moreover, the violence is not used against those suspected of terrorism, it is used against Israel Defense Forces officers and soldiers. I urge the authorities to take measures to end this grave phenomenon.”
In a meeting of Labor Party ministers earlier Sunday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak sais that “the defense establishment will act with decisiveness to enforce law and order in the West Bank, but we need the cooperation of the police and the legal system.”
Soldiers operating in village of Asira al-Kabaliya, which was attacked by settlers Saturday, find group of left-wing activists in one of houses. ‘It was our duty to arrive and express our solidarity with the residents,’ explains activist Yonatan Polak
By Ali Waked
To view original article, published by Ynet on the 14th September, click here
An IDF force which raided the West Bank village of Asira al-Kabaliya near the settlement of Yitzhar on Saturday night, apparently as part of an operation for the arrest of wanted Palestinians, was surprised to discover a group of left-wing activists in one of the houses.
The activists arrived in the area following the riots which broke out in the village Saturday after a Palestinian stabbed a nine-year-old Jewish child and settlers flocked to the village and caused heavy damage.
The IDF force is believed to have operated in the village in the night in a bid to locate the Palestinian who stabbed the child. The troops were surprised to find a group of Israeli left-wing activists inside one of the houses they searched.
The force informed the group that the village was under curfew and inquired about the reasons for their arrival.
One of the Israeli activists, Yonatan Polak, told Ynet that he and his friends had arrived in the village in order to express their solidarity with the residents and attempt to reduce the level of violence.
“I saw with my own eyes settlers throwing stones on Palestinians, with soldiers standing by and doing nothing. Six people were injured here yesterday from live ammunition, and it was our duty to come here and express our solidarity,” he said.
According to Polak, the troops did not cause damage in the house where he was discovered with his friends, but claimed that the entire content of a neighboring house raided was thrown onto the street and that the soldiers caused damaged to property.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Office has yet to respond to the claims.
Stabbing attack followed by revenge campaign
The violent clashes in the area Saturday began in a stabbing attack which left a nine-year-old child from Yitzhar lightly injured, after a Palestinian infiltrated the settlement and set fire to an empty building.
The Palestinian then entered another house, stabbed the child five times and threw him off a 2-meter (6.5-feet) high balcony.
Following the incident, dozens of settlers raided the village of Asira al-Kabaliya, fired in the air, shattered windows, caused damage to property and injured several Palestinians.
IDF soldiers confiscated the weapons of two settlers, but did not arrest them.
According to the Palestinians, six people were wounded by live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets. Although the cartridges were found in the area, the settlers denied firing in the village.
The settlers claimed that the chain of events was the result of an IDF failure, as one of the soldiers had spotted the Palestinian arriving at the settlement but failed to do anything about it.
On the 13th September settlers rioted in the village of Assira al Qabliya while Israeli forces invaded the village and imposed curfew. Eight people were injured during the riot, two from live ammunition.
According to media sources a young settler child was attacked from an intruder into the Yitzhar settlement. Soon after settlers gathered on the hill and rioted through Assira al Qabliya, shooting live ammunition and causing widespread damage. Two people were hit by live ammunition, while 4 were reportedly hit by rubber-coated steel bullets from the Israeli army.
International activists managed to access the village to show solidarity with the besieged villagers as the army invaded and imposed curfew. One of the families had managed to film settlers and soldiers coming into the village, with the soldiers refraining from preventing the settlers enter. This video was shot on a camera supplied by B’Tselem as part of their ‘Shooting Back’ campaign, through which cameras have been handed out to Palestinians particularly at risk from settlers and the army.
The internationals were joined by Israeli activists that afternoon. As the army invaded again in the early hours of the 14th September, they were surprised to find Israelis within the family home they had come to search.
12-year-old boy detained by IDF over Naalin riot warmly received by Palestinian prisoners
By Ali Waked
To view original article, published by Ynet on the 13th September, click here
A hero’s welcome: A Palestinian boy detained by the IDF over his involvement in West Bank riots was received warmly by Palestinian detainees at the Ofer Prison near Ramallah Friday.
Muhammad Hawaja, the son of Naalin’s paramedic, is the youngest detainee at the prison. Upon his arrival at the jail, he was received with warm applause by the other prisoners.
“He arrived in high spirits,” one of the prisoner representatives in Hawaja’s wing told Ynet. “We asked him whether he is hungry or needs something, but he said he’s fasting. We held a little festive meal for him. We will pamper him and give him everything he needs, in the framework of what’s available at prison.”
The representative also said that prison authorities are looking into the possibility of transferring the boy to another wing, where his relative is being held at this time.
The boy’s father told Ynet earlier that Large IDF forces arrived Wednesday night at the village of Naalin in order to arrest his son, who is suspected of involvement in violent riots held in protest of Israel’s construction of the security barrier.
Salah Hawaja said that the forces, “came in from the mountains, surrounded the house and removed Muhammad from his bed.
However, the IDF said that it will “continue to enforce the law and pursue anyone who seeks to bring harm in any way to IDF soldiers and Border Guard officers.”
