Category: Press Releases

23 Palestinians killed, 55 blessed (wounded) inside Gaza by IDF: where is the EU strong condemnation of these murders?

BY LUISA MORGANTINI
VICEPRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Strasbourg , 17th January

“23 Palestinians killed and other 55 blessed (wounded), children, women and men, by Israeli raids in only two days: where is the EU strong condemnation of these murders?” -asked Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the European Parliament expressing a deep concern regarding the escalation of violence of these days in Palestine and Israel.

“It is really astonishing- added Luisa Morgantini- that EU High Representative Javier Solana didn’t say clearly that this Israeli policy is killing all hopes for peace and undermines the tenacious efforts by President Mahmoud Abbas and PM Salam Fayyad in seeking support and unity in their exhausted, occupied and besieged people.

Solana together with the entire International Community should strongly call on the Israeli Government to stop this violence and the collective punishment towards the civil population in Gaza Strip and in West Bank, as well as firmly reaffirm that all the settlements expansion’s policy on the Palestinian land of West Bank and East Jerusalem must be immediately freezed: these are the urgent and urged steps for a just peace, as Annapolis’ purposes reaffirmed.

Of course at the same time, the rockets from Gaza Strip on the Israeli town of Sderot must be stopped: they are aiming to kill civilian population and are a sign of impotence and not of resistance actuated by extremist groups of Palestinians. Besides, I feel a deep pain for the young Ecuadorian volunteer killed by Palestinian extremist fire while he was working in a kibbutz in Ein Hashlosha. But the tragedy goes on everyday in the occupied Palestine: 17 Gazans killed by Israeli forces in less than four hours, many other are dead in the following hours, including civilians and children, and not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank.

With all this blood, with all this deaths nobody can be absolved for his silence: EU, as the Quartet policy, also is responsible and must break this silence, taking the consequent commitment: to end the siege in Gaza, to provide international protection for the civilian population, both Palestinians and Israelis, to work for the unity of the Palestinian people and for the end of occupation. This is the way to dismantle every military action taken by Palestinian extremists. But above all, this is the time to make pressures on the Israeli Government to stand by their words of seeking peace and security: its policy on the ground is just destroying any possibility of peace and security for both people”.

Further information Luisa Morgantini 0039 348 39 21 465 or Office in Rome 0039 06 69 95 02 17

luisa.morgantini@europarl.europa.eu
www.luisamorgantini.net

*Updated, with videos!* Demonstrators tell Bush their Freedom is not for Sale despite police repression

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Despite attempts by the Palestinian authority to silence any appearance of dissent, around a thousand people peacefully took to the streets all over Ramallah to protest the ongoing siege of Gaza, and to protest what they said was an attempt to strengthen Apartheid with U.S. President Bush’s visit. Dozens of people were arrested and assaulted by PA police. The demonstration began at the Manara, later moving towards the Orthodox Club.

People began by unfurling banners and lifting signs in the Manara, telling Bush their freedom is not for sale. Officers tore apart signs and pushed people off the street. After around an hour people moved towards the Orthodox Club where another demonstration was taking place. They were stopped by the police short of the other demonstration, and were not allowed to join. People stood with signs, singing and voicing their protest against Bush’s visit.

Mohammad Alatar, a spokesman from the Gaza On My Mind (Gaza 3ala Bali) campaign said, “This man is responsible for supporting the siege on Gaza, for starving 1.5 million people, for cutting fuel and electricity to the humanitarian infrastructure, for locking the doors and borders to the world’s largest and most populated prison.

The peace process which began at Annapolis and is being pushed forward by Bush in his visit, has from the beginning been a way to legitimize Apartheid. The Palestinian leadership is being pushed into agreeing to a state without territorial contiguity, an archipelago of Bantustans separated from each other and controlled in every way by the Israeli Army.”

For more information contact:
Ronald Wheeler 0548195210

Settlers build structures in Hebron while Police standby and watch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Today, January 9th, settlers are building structures in Hebron on Palestinian land while police standby and watch.

Early this morning at 4am, settlers from the occupied house Beit HaShalom and Kiryat Arba began putting up structures on Palestinian land beloging to the Jabri family, across the way from them.

Around 50 settlers have built stone roadblocks on the military road as well as stone structures on, and stone pathways through, the Jabri family’s land. Israeli police are not attempting to stop the illegal building or the blocking of the road, but are attempting to keep the mob from attacking Palestinian residents.

The Jabri family has been harassed on a daily basis for the last seven years, settlers have already built a pathway through other land of theirs’ as well as a tent structure which they call a synagogue. These are all ways to start the process of stealing Palestinian land.

For more information call:
Josie 0542536786
Issa 0599340549

Beit Ummar Demonstrates Against Land Theft

On January 5th, around 50 people took part in a demonstration against the theft of land belonging to the village of Beit Ummar. Palestinians from Beit Ummar and other towns were joined by international and Israeli activists and several representatives of the media as they walked to the land, which is now inside the fence of illegal Israeli settlement Karme Tzur. The crowd was accompanied by 3 tractors and a sound system, creating a lively atmosphere.

Israeli Military met the demonstration around 100m from the settlement fence. Over the next half hour the demonstration was able to move closer while but did not reach the fence. The standoff between demonstrators and soldiers was at times tense, but remained peaceful until the demonstration began to disperse, when the army fired several canisters of tear gas and some stones were thrown. The army also drove into the village following the demonstration. According to one participant, a journalist was injured by a tear gas cannister.

Around one year ago, 600 dunums of Beit Ummar’s land was fenced off and taken by the settlement. The army has repeatedly given assurances that farmers with land inside the fence will be given access to their land, but this only happened twice, causing crop failure. Farmers with land outside the fence are also unable to work their land, as when they try they are shot at by settler security forces, while soldiers look on.

Organisers say they plan to make this a weekly demonstration.

PCHR: Gaza Pilgrims Remain on Board of Ferries and in the Open in El-Arish Waiting for their Return Home

January 2nd, 2008

PCHR strongly condemns the continuation of the crisis of the return of Gaza pilgrims to their homes. The pilgrims are stranded on the back of a transport ship in the Red Sea and in Egyptian city of El-Arish. The Centre condemns denying these pilgrims of their right of safe return to their homes, noting that all Muslim pilgrims returned to their homes one week ago. The Centre calls upon the international community, especially the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), to pressure Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) cease violating the freedom of movement rights of the civilian population, and to allow the safe return of the pilgrims to the Gaza Strip. In addition, the Centre warns of the deterioration of the humanitarian conditions of the pilgrims, many of whom are elderly and ill persons, as they are under harsh conditions lacking minimum basic needs such as water, food, medicine, and housing.

It is noted that 2200 pilgrims from Gaza traveled to Saudi Arabia through Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border on the 3rd and 4th of December 2007. On their return from the Pilgrimage on 28 December 2007, these pilgrims were surprised in the Jordanian seaport in Aqaba that they were denied access to the ferries to the Egyptian port of Nuwebe’, from which they would continue by land to Gaza through the Sinai Peninsula. Boarding the ferries to Nuwebe’ was conditional to signing a written pledge accepting the return to the Gaza Strip through Karm Abu Salem “Kerem Shalom” on the Egyptian-Israeli border instead of the Rafah Crossing on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The pilgrims refused to sign this pledge. The Jordanian authorities intervened at approximately 17:00 and allowed 1200 pilgrims to board a ferry, which reached Nuwebe’ after 5 hours. The Egyptian authorities refused to allow the passengers to disembark in Nuwebe’; and the ferry remained a few kilometers offshore.

On Saturday, 29 December, the remaining 1000 pilgrims arrived at Nuwebe’ and joined the remaining pilgrims offshore as the Egyptian authorities refused to allow them to enter Egyptian territory. And at approximately 21:00, the Egyptian authorities allowed the pilgrims to disembark and enter Egypt without signing the written pledge.

Information gathered by PCHR indicates that the Egyptian authorities set up a tent compound to host the pilgrims in El-Arish, to the south of Rafah International Crossing Point. Several pilgrims stated in telephone conversations that they are under harsh conditions; and that they have suffered significantly over the past few days due to the lack of food, water, and medicine on the ferries.

The continued obstruction of the return of Gaza Strip pilgrims to their homes is a violation of their right to freedom of movement and return to their homes. In addition, it is a violation of their rights to freedom of thought and religion, especially the right to worship and religious practice. These violations are a breach of International Humanitarian Law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949); International Human Rights Law; and the Covenant of Civil and Political Rights.

PCHR condemns the continuation of this crisis, and calls upon the international community, especially the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), to intervene immediately to ensure the safe and speedy return of Gaza Strip pilgrims to their homes through Rafah International Crossing Point.