Category: In the Media

Israeli troops kill Gaza fishermen

17 February 2011 | Al Jazeera

Israeli soldiers have killed three Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza-Israeli border, Palestinian medics have said.

Gaza’s ministry of health said on Thursday that the men were killed overnight in the north of Gaza, near Beit Lahiya, while they were working with their nets on the shore.

The medics said that the victims were shot by Israeli forces before dawn.

But the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in a statement said the men were “militants”.

“Overnight, an IDF force identified a number of Palestinian militants approaching the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip, in an attempt to plant explosive devices.

“Thwarting the attempt, the force fired at the militants, hitting three of them,” the statement said.

Residents said they had heard gunfire in the area.

Adham Abu Selmiya, a spokesman for the Hamas-run emergency services, told AFP news agency that the men died after being hit by a tank shell and machine gun fire in an area called Al-Waha which lies close to both the shore and the northern border with Israel.

Abu Selmiya identified the men as Jihad Khalaf, 20, Talaat al-Awagh, 25 and Ashraf al-Kteifan, 29.

Israel often carries out strikes against Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Increased tensions over the Gaza border have raised concerns about a new Israeli invasion of the coastal enclave like the devastating 22-day offensive which began at the end of December 2008.

Fourteen hundred Palestinians were killed in the operation, more than half of them civilians. Thirteen Israelis, 10 of them soldiers, also died.

Turkey Gaza flotilla probe: five shot dead at close range

13 February 2011 | Haaretz

A Turkish government inquiry into Israel’s raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that killed eight Turks and a Turkish-American says Israeli soldiers shot five victims at close range.

Turkey released details of its formal inquiry into the May 31 incident Friday, hours after submitting the report to a United Nations panel investigating the incident. Eight Turkish citizens and a Turkish-American were killed when Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara.

Israel has insisted its soldiers acted in self-defense after being attacked by activists on board. An Israeli inquiry into the raid last month cleared the military and government of any wrongdoing and said that the armed defense of Israel’s maritime blockade of the Hamas-ruled coastal strip was justified under international law.

The Turkish inquiry report – a summary of which was released to journalists Friday – concluded that Israeli soldiers used excessive, indiscriminate and disproportionate force on unarmed civilians. It said the raid was a blatant violation of international laws.

“The force used was not justified, it was excessive,” committee member Mithat Rende, a Foreign Ministry official, told reporters.

The report said Israeli soldiers fired live bullets from helicopters, killing two of the activists, even before they had rappelled on board. Five of the victims were killed from close range, it added.

Furkan Dogan, the 19-year-old Turkish-American, was lying wounded after being shot in the leg when he was kicked by two soldiers, who then shot him from close range execution-style, according to the summary.

Another activist, Cevdet Kiliclar, was killed with laser-guided weapons while taking photographs, the report said.

The commando raid sparked a wave of condemnation worldwide and lead to an easing of Israel’s blockade on the coastal territory. It further damaged already strained relations with Turkey, formerly one of Israel’s closest allies in the region. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel and is demanding an apology and compensation for the victims before it says ties can return to normal.

In Jerusalem, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said he could not comment on the Turkish findings because he had not seen the report.

A report published last month after an internal investigation in Israel found that the Israeli soldiers who took part in the raid had acted in self-defense. It also determined that Israel’s three-and-a-half year blockade of the Gaza Strip does not break international law.

Palmor said Israel had submitted its own report to the UN and was waiting to hear what lessons could be learned so this doesn’t happen again.

Rende said Turkish investigators questioned more than 100 Turkish and foreign activists on board the flotilla in compiling the report, and also sought the opinions of international legal experts.

“Israel violated laws regarding the safety of navigation in open waters and the freedom to navigate,” Rende said, adding that the blockade of Gaza amounted to illegal collective punishment of 1.5 million people.

“Israel is responsible for the compensation of all damages and has to apologize,” he said.

“The Israeli forces carried out a well-planned and fully equipped attack, with the use of a special combat unit, kitted with frigates, helicopters, zodiacs, submarines, automatic weapons, laser-guided weapons, and modified paintball guns,” the Turkish inquiry read.

Rende said the excessive force caused panic among the activists forcing them to use their right to self-defense, even without firearms.

Palestinian child hit by Israeli police car in Silwan

10 February 2011 | Wadi Hilweh Information Center

An Israeli police car ran over a young Palestinian girl on the main street of Ain al-Luza neighbourhood in Silwan yesterday, 9 February. Witnesses reported that the police vehicle had been speeding through the streets of Silwan when it ran in to 15 year old Hanin Khalil Ghanayem on her way home from school, pushing her for a distance of approximately 3 metres and then colliding with a Palestinian car.

Palestinian girl hit by Israeli police car

The incident, which is unfortunately not the first of its kind in Silwan, was well-documented by locals with cameras. Ghanayem was rushed to Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem.

Winning films announced for the first International Israeli Apartheid Short Film Contest

08 February 2011 | Stop the Wall & itisapartheid.org

A year ago, Stop the Wall and itisapartheid.org began to collaborate on the first International Israeli Apartheid Short Film Contest. This contest encouraged the local Palestinian and larger international community to submit short films on the theme of Israeli Apartheid. From the videos submitted, the top ten short films were chosen to be showcased on the website. One of the organizers, Richard Colbath-Hess says, “The media, especially in the United States, does not report the truth about the Israeli occupation. The contest is an attempt to engage activists all over the world to use the creative resources of film to get the issue of Israeli Apartheid into the mainstream.”

A process of viewing and voting on the films took place over the last months of 2010. Three panels of judges were formed to determine the winners of the four awards. The Expert Panel prize was determined by an international panel of experts in the fields of film and the Israeli Occupation. The Global Jury prize was determined by internet voting by anyone who visited the website and viewed the films during the fall of 2010. The scores submitted at two separate showings in Palestine determined the Palestinian Jury prize. And lastly, the Overall prize was awarded to the most outstanding film.

The winning films are as follows:

The Expert Panel prize and Overall prize was awarded to “Road Map to Apartheid”
The Global Jury prize was awarded to “Confronting the Wall”
The Palestine Jury prize was awarded to “Ali Wall”

For further information on the contest or to view more videos, visit:
http://www.itisapartheid.info/

These powerful films are starting to circulate on the internet all over the world. There have been showing of the films, in the US, Canada, Venezuela, Britain, Australia, France and the Netherlands.

IDF commander involved in shooting bound Palestinian evades jail term

27 January 2011 | YNet News

Lieutenant-Colonol Omri Borberg breathed a sigh of relief Thursday after evading demotion, but residents of Naalin have no plans to let the sentence slide. Ashraf Abu Rahma, the Palestinian who was shot while bound and blindfolded, was extremely upset upon hearing the judges’ ruling.

“The officer committed a crime, the court’s decision is unreasonable,” he told Ynet.

“I can’t understand how he can remain in the army after you see him on tape giving an order to shoot me. It’s a crime.”

The Tel Aviv military court ruled Thursday that Lieutenant-Colonel Omri Borberg, the battalion commander who was involved in the Naalin shooting incident, will not be demoted. The judges ruled such a punishment “will gravely hurt him” and recommended his promotion be postponed for two years. Borberg broke into tears as the sentence was being read.

Abu Rahma’s family also rejected the ruling. “This is the occupation’s court, it’s illegal. They fired at a blindfolded detainee,” Ashraf’s cousin said. “They should have put him in jail, it’s a war crime.”

Muhammad Khatib, member of Bilin’s popular committee admitted he did not have his hopes up as far as the sentence was concerned. “We are disappointed with the decision mainly because it will not deter others from doing the same. The Israeli legal system has a different approach when dealing with matters pertaining to Palestinians,” he said.

“Our current option is to launch an international campaign. We’re looking into the possibility of approaching the International Court of Justice.”

Muhammad Knaan, a Naalin resident who claims to have witnessed the shooting said: “It’s illegal to fire at a person when they’re bound. We didn’t want to see him in jail but we did expect the decision to address his rank and position. The court should not have let him stay in the army.”

The shooting incident was filmed by Salam Knaan. Claims were raised against the video suggesting it was doctored. “Professionals checked the tape and came to the conclusion it was authentic. The whole world saw the crime committed in Naalin,” Salam said.

Borberg, on the other hand, said he completely agrees with the court’s ruling regarding his role in the Naalim shooting affair. “It’s hard to describe the heavy load I’ve been carrying lately. I’m glad it’s over,” he said.

He added: “All I care about now is to return to my family, to my daughter, and continue contributing to the IDF.”