Reuters photo from November 9th of a previous demonstration in front of Damascus Gate against the Beit Hanoun massacre
The Israeli occupation police on Wednesday, stopped a peaceful demonstration, organized by hundreds of Palestinian students, commemorating the 18th anniversary of the declaration of Palestinian independence.
The police intervened immediately as the demonstration started, throwing tear gas bombs at the demonstrators in Sultan Solomon Street. They arrested a number of them, charging them with “sedition”.
Israeli police also dispersed another, smaller, demonstration at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. Police also arrested two Palestinian students on Zahra Street, for distributing pamphlets, calling for a demonstration to mark the day of independence.
Al-Haq is cooperating with solicitor Phil Shiner of the Public Interest Lawyers firm (PIL) as part of its efforts to secure the implementation of the July 2004 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Israel’s wall. This court decision found Israel’s construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) to be contrary to international law. Al-Haq has provided PIL with documentation on numerous cases regarding the impact of the Wall. On November 15, 2006, PIL lodged a complaint against the UK government in the High Court in London on behalf of Palestinians suffering as a result of the construction of the Wall.
PIL argued that the UK’s granting of export licenses for the sale of weapons to Israel breaches both its own Consolidated Criteria, as well as principles of international law reflected in the ICJ Advisory Opinion. It argued that the UK government should immediately review the legality and rationality of its arms trade with Israel, in light of clear recent evidence that arms related products from UK based companies are implicated in violations of international humanitarian law carried out by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the OPT. When reviewing its actions, the UK government must take full account of its legal obligations as reflected in the ICJ Advisory Opinion.
Al-Haq believes that the action taken by PIL provides hope for the Palestinian people by bringing attention to the lack of respect for international law in the OPT. By holding the UK accountable for its failure to meet its obligations as a third-party state, Al-Haq hopes that the UK and other states will become more mindful of their own international legal obligations with regard to violations carried out in the OPT. Al-Haq would like to express its gratitude and support to PIL for taking this courageous step.
Isra Damouni is transported from the operating theatre pale and still, the latest casualty from the latest Israeli raid on Nablus.
The 16-year-old was lying in bed when a bullet pierced her window and hit her thigh at around 3.30am. She screamed and the soldiers threw a percussion grenade at the window. It detonated, shattering glass over her sister, Sabrine, 18, who had gone to her aid.
The pair are two of the 10 injured during a raid on al-Ein refugee camp in Nablus that began at 2am on Tuesday and ended at 10.30am. One man, a gunman from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Baha Khateri, was shot dead. A crowd of men with red flags took his body away for burial while the doctors finished extracting the bullet from Isra’s leg.
The streets of Nablus are deserted by 10.30pm every night in anticipation of the arrival of the army. Sometimes, the troops go to the Balata and Askar refugee camps on the outskirts of Nablus; at others, to al-Ein and the Nablus kasbah in the centre. Sometimes they go to all of them. While the streets of Nablus may be Palestinian during the day, at night they belong to the Israeli army.
The purpose of each visit is different. Sometimes the soldiers make arrests or kill wanted men, but most of the time the raids are designed to provoke gunmen into taking on the Israelis. Last week in the kasbah, soldiers spent hours wandering around its alleyways, shouting, “Allahu Akhbar” and setting off percussion grenades. On Tuesday, the soldiers challenged the “mujahideen” to come out and fight them.
The Israeli army says Nablus has always been a centre of opposition to Israel and a major source of suicide bombers. While no Israelis have been hurt by bombers in six months, the army maintains a vice-like grip on the city by day and still attacks by night.
Residents of al-Ein said on Tuesday that in the 14 days of November, there have only been two nights when Israeli forces did not enter the small and crowded camp. On Tuesday, the army arrived at 2.30am. The soldiers fanned out and entered houses all over camp, ordering families into small rooms. The soldiers then either set up a sniper’s nest, by smashing holes in the wall or windows, or smashed through walls in order to enter neighbouring houses.
Tuesday’s damage begins at the main road of Nablus, which borders the camp. Pavements have been dug and a car has been dumped on its side on top of a memorial to members of the PFLP. Further up the road, cars have been barged by armoured bulldozers and some have been pushed into roadside ditches. Dozens of residents say the Israelis entered and damaged their homes.
Mufid Abu Rahman, an officer in the Palestinian police, says he and his extended family of 17 were forced to stay in a room for eight hours while soldiers used their house as a position. In his son’s room, gun slits were knocked through the walls, and the floor is littered with bullet cases from an M-16 and the larger cases from a sniper’s rifle.
“When the sun goes down, we hide. We try and make sure that no one sleeps near exterior walls or windows because of the danger of stray bullets,” he said.
The home of Hassan Khatib, 52, was also taken and his family were held for eight hours. The soldiers smashed a hole in the bedroom wall of his daughter to gain access to a neighbour’s home, a process known in the army as “getting to know the neighbours”. Mr Khatib said the main purpose of the raids was to initiate confrontations with gunmen who would not pick up a weapon if the Israeli army was not raiding their streets every night.
“We are living in peace, in our homes. Why should they come here? This creates a need for people to resist,” he said.
Isra and Sabrina were lying in their beds when they came under fire. The walls are plain, apart from three family photographs and certificate of proficiency in English presented to Isra by the US consul general. The doctors say that Isra should make a full recovery, in spite of waiting eight hours to get to hospital, while Sabrina has light cuts on her face and has been temporarily deafened by the blast.
The clear-up operation begins the moment the Israelis leave. Cranes and engineers arrive to assess the damage and begin repairs to buildings, roads, phone lines and electricity lines. The ambulances are finally able to get to the wounded and the one fatality, who is immediately prepared for his funeral. Assessors from the ministry of social affairs come with their clipboards.
The Nablus Civil Society offers a small sum of compensation for injuries and house damage, which is funded by Palestinian and international benefactors.
Nasseer Arafat, a director of the society, said: “We receive details of damages and injuries from the PA and we give $150 (£79) to anyone that is injured. It is a small amount, but its main purpose is to let people know they are not alone. In the last five years, we have spent $13m in Nablus alone.”
Translated from the Hebrew original by Rann Bar-On.
“As a doctor, a mother and a human being I have always been strongly against any attacks on civilians, Israelis or Palestinian. But here we are serving as target practice for an organized army. The people are hungry, there is no water, electricity or communications, it is impossible to move freely on the roads and medical supplies are almost exhausted.” Mona El’Fara, a doctor in the Al Wada hospital in Jabalia, describes life in Gaza. A monologue and pictures from the other side of the checkpoint.
“My name is Mona Al’Fara, I am 52 years old, a mother to three children, the youngest of whom is 14. I am a doctor in the Al Wada hospital in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza. I work for the Medical Committees Organization that operates the hospital, a number of other health centers and community health programs for children, women and teens. I serve as the health and development advisor for the organization and also co-ordinate projects for the ‘Chidren’s Union of the Middle-East’ in the Gaza area.
“This week, as I made my way to the hospital along the abandoned road, I could see Israeli tanks. The Al Wada hospital is not far from Beit Hanoun, and every day on my drive to and from work I felt fear. I fear that the Israeli army’s shells will hit the car in front of me or behind me.
“The general mood in Gaza is of a lack of security, but I still continue my work. I send my daughter to school and wonder if she will return home safe and well. Many children have been killed in the schoolyard or on their way to it. The Israeli army hits civilians during its operations, and sometimes we feel that the army intends to hit as many civilians as possible.
“It is difficult for me to travel freely throughout the Gaza Strip because I am very scared of missile attacks. I almost never visit my mother, certainly not as often as I should. I have no social life whatsoever and no possibility of planning ahead. From a mental point of view, things are very hard for me. I have mood swings, I feel depression and a deep sadness. I have trouble sleeping at night and terrible nightmares. My feelings are typical of almost all Gazans, even children and infants. The worst feeling is of being jailed – the borders are all closed, they have opened only six times in the last four months.”
* * *
“Last Sunday two rescue workers were killed as they were working, and one of the team members in the hospital was also hurt. On Monday at 7:30am a bus of 3-5 year old children arrived at the hospital. Their teacher was hurt by a falling shell and the bus evacuated her to the hospital. The youngest children were in shock. They were crying and shaking, and the team worked to calm them down. Some of the people burst into tears at the sight of the stunned children who were admitted to various departments.
“Two days ago I arrived at work exactly as the dead and wounded from Beit Hanoun began to arrive. Among the injured were those who were severely wounded and many children, it was without doubt one of the hardest days I’ve had in the hospital. The family members waiting outside were clearly traumatized. The triage room was crowded and we could barely function.
“Since the beginning of the operation in Beit Hanoun nine women from the town came to give birth at the hospital. They were made to wait for hours until they got permission to leave Beit Hanoun. Some of them stayed in the hospital because they couldn’t get back home, others found shelter with local families. With the help of the UN I managed to send 400 packs of baby formula to Beit Hanoun. I was told there was a great shortage of milk there.
“My feeling is that the terrible situation could have been prevented by the army. Saying “sorry, we apologize” is not enough. It certainly won’t bring the dead back to life.
“As a doctor, a mother and a human being I have always been strongly against any attacks on civilians, Israelis or Palestinian. But here in Gaza we are serving as target practice for an organized army. State terror is what I call it.
“For the past four months we have been living without electricity after the power station in Gaza was destroyed by a targeted bombing. The shortage of electricity makes life here very difficult. In the hospital we use a generator that uses expensive petrol. Since the border to Gaza is closed most of the time and it is impossible to transfer patients, the teams here are under enormous pressure, especially the surgical teams. We are forced to postpone almost every surgery that isn’t an emergency or life-saving so that we can conserve electricity for critical surgeries.
“Cancer patients are forced to give up chemotherapy and radiology treatments because they are not permitted to cross the Egyptian border. Patients in intensive care units are in dire states due to the shortage in the electricity supply. So are dialysis patients.
“At the moment, we still have medicine and other medical supplies, but we are fearful that they will soon run out completely. Despite the enormous pressure we are trying to ensure availability of supplies. Due to the situation, the operating expenses of the hospital have gone up enormously. Additionally, we are forced to treat most patients at no charge due to their financial circumstances. Around 70% of Gazans rely on international aid for a living.
“As part of our work, we found out that 42% of women and children suffer from severe anemia due to a shortage of iron. There is no doubt that this is caused by malnutrition and the lack of meat. That is the extent of the crumbling economy that is caused by sanctions and the siege.”
* * *
“The people of Beit Hanoun are hungry. They have no water, electricity or access to communications. Large tracts of agricultural land have been destroyed, medical teams are not permitted entry except in emergency cases and after complex co-ordination. The huge number of dead in the civilian population adds to the enormous pressure the fragile and diluted medical system in Gaza is under.
“The fact that Israel persists in carrying out the operation causes me sometimes to think that it does not seriously want to achieve peace and stability in the region. I feel that your government is trying to cause us, the Palestinians, to shrink to a minimum our national ambitions – until, in time, our attention will be diverted to the humanitarian situation and nothing else.
“I believe that the Occupation has to end, and that a peace process that is not based on justice cannot sustain itself. But peace cannot be dictated by the stronger side. I still dream of the day the war will end, then Israelis and Palestinians will live side by side in this ancient land.”
Dr. Mona Al’Fara requested that her picture not be shown.
Theresa in the Bengurion airport detention centre after being prevented by Israel from attending the Celebrating Nonviolence conference in Bethlehem last December.
UPDATE:Theresa remains in detention after an Israeli judge today postponed a decision on her appeal against denial of entry until November 15th.
Theresa McDermont came to Israel to pick olives with Palestinian farmers for one month. Instead, she has been sitting in a detention cell for 12 days at Ben-Gurion airport.
McDermont, a Scottish post office worker, said she hoped to be a volunteer for Rabbis for Human Rights, the organization that runs the olive harvest project designed to help Palestinian farmers cultivate land near the Green Line.
According to McDermont’s lawyer, Gabi Lasky, there is no reason for her detention and she is being detained under no charges. She said a possible reason for McDermont’s detainment could be that “Israel doesn’t want activists for human rights.”
McDermont attended the International Solidarity Movement’s (ISM) International Nonviolence Conference held in Bethlehem last December.
Micky Rosenfeld, the police spokesman, said no one is held without reason. According to Rosenfeld, “just mentioning the ISM” offers enough suspicion to deny someone’s entry into Israel, adding that Israel has denied entrance to ISM members before.
The ISM has been targeted, said Rosenfeld, because there is concrete evidence that in the past, it has provided terrorist groups with financial aid.
Rabbi Arik Asherman, spokesman for Rabbis for Human Rights, said a volunteer for his group has never before been denied entry.
McDermont will have a court hearing Monday, to decide whether she will be allowed entry into Israel or returned to Scotland.
The ISM has responded firmly to these unfounded allegations with a letter to the Jerusalem Post:
To: editors@jpost.com, letters@jpost.com
Sirs,
Ori Raphael’s article on Theresa McDermont, the Scottish volunteer with Rabbis for Human Rights (“Rabbis for Human Rights volunteer held”, Nov. 12th) made a slanderous accusation against the International Solidarity Movement.
The idea that there is “concrete evidence” that the ISM has “provided terrorist groups with financial aid” is transparent nonsense. Israel has indeed deported and barred the entrance of many human rights workers who come to work with the Palestinians, including ISM volunteers. However, this is always done through the use of “secret evidence” or by denying visas.
The ISM has never been an illegal organization. In point of fact the Israeli courts have ruled several times that involvement in the ISM is not reason enough to deport or deny entry.
If there was any truth in Rosenfeld’s accusations then the ISM would have been banned by Israel and the US long ago. Raphael’s article fails basic journalistic standards, as it does not seek our statement on Rosenfeld’s accusations.
Raphael’s lack of a minimal level of factual accuracy is also demonstrated when he states that the Celebrating Nonviolent Resistance Conference held in Bethlehem last December was an ISM organized event. In fact it was primarily organized by the Holy Land Trust, a Palestinian NGO, as anyone doing 5 minutes of fact-checking would discover.
