Category: In the Media - Page 284 - International Solidarity Movement

Ma’an News: “Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign triumph over French multinational involved in Israeli tram project”

Jerusalem – Ma’an – The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) has successfully exerted pressure on an Irish transport organisation, Veolia, leading them to cancel a contract to train Israeli drivers for a light railway system in East Jerusalem. The railway system will link several Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem to West Jerusalem; the settlements include Pisgat Ze’ev, French Hill, Neve Ya’akov and Gilo.

Veolia is a constituent of Connex, the rail company that is currently building the tramline in East Jerusalem. Connex was awarded the $500 million US contract to build and operate Jerusalem’s light rail system.

Israel had been holding negotiations with Veolia to train Israeli engineers and drivers on the Dublin Luas tramline system. But Irish trade union representatives, in response to the IPSC, exerted pressure on Veolia to withdraw from the proposed project.

British charity, War on Want, reported an IPSC spokesperson as saying that: “This is a small but significant victory for the Palestinian right to self-determination. This tramline, like the Apartheid Wall, is an integral component of Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem. You would expect a tramline to be fairly innocuous, but the lesson is no: when you do business with Israel, you invariably do business with the Occupation. Veolia clearly understand that there is a growing awareness of this within Irish society. People are realising that diplomacy has utterly failed to curb Israeli crimes. We must cut ties with Israel in order to force it to end its Occupation,”

The spokesperson further stated, “Veolia’s position, however, is extraordinary. In cancelling this contract, Veolia acknowledge that the Israeli line is illegal and unsupportable. Yet it is they who are building it! The hypocrisy is inexcusable, and their attempts to deny that they bowed to pressure are laughable. Since the Minister for Transport and the Railway Procurement Agency have ultimate control over who runs the Luas, the IPSC now calls on Martin Cullen and the RPA to cancel Veolia’s contract unless they cease building this illegal tramline on occupied Palestinian territory.”

The IPSC concluded by stating that: “If human rights groups and Palestinian solidarity campaigns can ensure that no country will train Israeli engineers and drivers, then perhaps we can help to ‘derail’ this criminal project entirely.”

YNet: “IDF to probe ‘human shiled’ charges”

by Hanan Greenberg, March 16

Update from previous story
by AP, March 4

IDF to probe ‘human shield’ charges

The Criminal Investigations Division of the Israeli military police are opening an investigation into charges that Israeli soldiers used Palestinian civilians as human shields during an operation in Nablus two weeks ago.

The inquiry was launched upon the orders of IDF Judge Advocate General Brig.-Gen. Avi Mandelblit.

Palestinians residents of Nablus in the West Bank claimed that during an IDF raid in the city, soldiers illegally threatened civilians at gunpoint. Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled out use of Palestinian civilians in military operations, and specifically banned taking Palestinian civilians on arrest raids.

On February 25, the Associated Press filmed a video in which a Palestinian man is shown accompanying heavily armed soldiers as they conduct house-to-house arrest sweeps.

After the operation, the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem published a report in which Palestinian witnesses reported seeing soldiers use a Palestinian girl, 11, and boy, 15, as human shields.

Walking on ‘tiptoe’?

According to witnesses’ testimonies, on the first day of the operation soldiers arrived at a Palestinian family’s Nablus home and instructed the family’s 15-year-old boy to accompany them on searches of three other homes.

The boy said the soldiers pushed him with their rifle barrels and forced him to enter the rooms of the homes ahead of them, to open closets and empty their contents, and open windows.

Contrary to the allegations, at the end of the operation the IDF claimed to have “walked on tip-toe” in its treatment of the city’s civilian population. According to IDF sources, the army performed a widespread military operation in Nablus but within strict constraints.

“We were asked by all ranks to do everything in order not to hurt innocent Palestinians, because it is clear that such an incident would be extremely significant, beyond the level of the division and brigade here,” a senior officer said.

The army noted that nine fugitives were arrested during the raids and multiple weapons caches and explosives laboratories were discovered. One Palestinian was killed, one IDF soldier was moderately wounded and three were lightly wounded.

Al Jazeera.com: “A tribute to Rachel Corrie”

by Sheikha Sajida, March 17

“Love you. Really miss you. I have bad nightmares about tanks and bulldozers outside our house and you and me inside. Sometimes the adrenaline acts as an anesthetic for weeks and then in the evening or at night it just hits me again – a little bit of the reality of the situation. I am really scared for the people here. Yesterday, I watched a father lead his two tiny children, holding his hands, out into the sight of tanks and a sniper tower and bulldozers and Jeeps because he thought his house was going to be exploded. Jenny and I stayed in the house with several women and two small babies. It was our mistake in translation that caused him to think it was his house that was being exploded…” – Those were the words of Rachel Corrie, the 23-year old peace activist tragically killed under Israeli bulldozers, to her mother.

Dear readers,

As we commemorate the fourth anniversary of the brutal killing of Rachel Corrie, let me pay a tribute to this heroine who sacrificed her life in protest against the Israeli destruction of Palestinian houses in Rafah.

No activist acted more heroically than did Rachel Corrie four years ago when, as recalls Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of the Palestinian-led International Solidarity Movement, which Corrie worked for, she died while “attempting to prevent the Israeli military from destroying Palestinian civilian homes. She was raising her hands and yelling at the bulldozer driver to stop. The bulldozer driver paid no attention. … He buried Rachel with dirt, which ended up, obviously, knocking her down. Then he ran over her, and then reversed and ran over her again.”

Nothing can be more heroic or noble than sacrificing one’s life for defending human beings, rights, or noble values.

To those who always attempt to change historic facts in a way that suits their goals, Corrie’s killing wasn’t accidental. The woman sat for about three hours in front of houses belonging to Palestinians, before the driver of the Israeli bulldozer drove over her. She was aware she was going to be brutally killed, but she wouldn’t care.

Rachel; we’ll always remember your loving spirit, your dedication to the Palestinian cause and your determination not to bow before even death in your struggle to aid the suffering population of Palestinians.

Sheikha Sajida,
The Sheikha can be reached via e-mail at Content@Aljazeera.com

Palestinian children commemorate Rachel Corrie

by Mohamad Al Jamal, March 16th

Rafah: Children commemorate the fourth anniversary for the loss of solidarity member Rachel Corrie by opening a permanent exhibit for her memorabilia

Children from the Palestinian Youth Parliament commemorated the fourth anniversary of the loss of the American International Solidarity Movement activist Rachel Corrie by opening a permanent exhibition for her that includes pictures and personal belongings at the parliament site in the center of Rafah governorate. The exhibition. which was attended by a large number of children and others, also contains Rachels’ writings and a symbolic coffin covered with the Palestinian flag. The exhibition was opened by reading commemorative poems written by two girls in English: Nadeem AlMahaydeh (11 y o) and Islam abuSharkh (12 y o). The two girls spoke about Rachel’s heroic stand in front of an Israeli bulldozer in an attempt to stop the demolition of a Palestinian home, a stand that cost her life.

The two girls emphasized in their poems that the children of Rafah in particular and all children of Palestine will never forget Rachel and she will be in their memories as long as they live. The children then hung placards with slogans that commemorate Corrie and wish that she was with them : “Rachel we will not forget you”, Rachel we need you”, Rachel Corrie died as a Palestinian, we welcome her in the highest esteem and honor”. Children then put wreaths and olive branches on her symbolic coffin. They sent their wishes and honor to Rachels’ parents who live in the US and who joined the children for the third anniversary commemoration last year.

After posting a large picture of Rachel on the wall of the exhibition, Ameer Barakeh (14 y o) took a few steps to Rachel’s symbolic coffin, placed some flowers, looked for a long time at her picture and his eyes got misty and tears rolled down his cheeks. Baraka said “even though a long time has passed, she is still in my mind and every day I remember her wide smile when she used to come to this parliament, sit with us, talk to us, and give us gifts of toys and clothes”. He added that he and other young parliamentarians plan to hold commemorations regularly for Rachel Corrie, Tom Hurndall, James Miller and all members of the solidarity movement who lost their lives. AbdelRaouf Barbakh, the supervisor of the youth parliament emphasized that the idea for the exhibition came from the children themselves who brought the possessions and gifts Corrie gave them and began collecting statements. Barbakh invited all civil and other groups to come to visit the exhibition. Rachel Corrie (23 y o) lost her life under an Israeli army bulldozer on March 16, 2003 while attempting to stop the bulldozer from demolishing a home belonging to a Palestinian citizen near the Brazil neighborhood southeast of Rafah city.

translated by Mazin Qumsiyeh

YNet: “Pro-Palestinian French group appeals to stop Jerusalem tram”

by Ali Waked, March 16th

Organization tries to obtain legal injunction stopping 2 French companies from building Jerusalem tram claiming project violates interests of Palestinians in ‘occupied Jerusalem’

A French-Palestinian organization is taking two French companies involved in the light-rail project in Jerusalem to court, claiming that “the project is aimed at connecting between occupied Jerusalem and the Israeli settlements in west Jerusalem.”

The judicial action is being brought against the two companies, Alstom and Veolia, based on a clause in the French law allowing the court to cancel any agreement that could violate public peace and good intentions.

The organization claims that the tram would violate the interests of Palestinians in “occupied Jerusalem,” breaching international law. It is requesting the court’s intervention in immediately annulling the contracts between the French companies and Israel.

In 2005 the contract to build the train was signed with City Pass consortium comprising of renowned train manufacturer Alstom, operating company Connex’s subsidiary Veolia, the Israeli Construction and Infrastructures company Ashtrom and Israel’s Polar Investments.

The French organization claimed that Israel was exploiting international and regional crises to create a new permanent reality in Jerusalem and its vicinity, expanding the settlements, building the separation fence and constructing the light rail.

‘Rail line will be used by all residents of Jerusalem’

According to the prosecutors, the tram is meant to “turn the settlements that are located close to Jerusalem into Jewish neighborhoods of the city, facilitating transport to and from these settlements and encouraging more people to live there.”

They explained that the move will also create Israeli strongholds in Arab parts of Jerusalem, will prevent their neighborhood developing and will isolate the east Jerusalem neighborhoods from the West bank. The project will expropriate dozens of acres of land from Arabs, they said.

The Organization is appealing to the international community to prevent the project from being realized in its current plan and to ensure that no company contributes to this “breach of international law.”

City Pass group Spokesman Itsho Gur said in response: “The light rail is a component of the new transport infrastructure of the city, aimed at providing a solution to the transportation congestion in Jerusalem.”

He added that City Pass was going to build the first light-rail line that will be used by all residents of Jerusalem – Jews, Muslims and Christians – without regard to race, creed or gender.