The BBC reported today that that the Israeli Defense Ministry has ruled that families of Palestinian inside Israel who were killed by an Israeli man cannot be compensentated as terrorism victims “because their killer was Jewish.”
The ministry said in it’s ruling that the man, based on his ethnicity, could not be considered an “enemy of Israel,” and thus could not be called a terrorist.
Read the rest here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ISM MEDIA GROUP — Soldiers invaded the small village of Tarna where home construction is under way and arrested 18 Palestinians — 16 residents of Tarna and two others working with nonprofit organizations — and are now taking them to detention. The 18 people were with three foreign members of the World Council of Churches. The three internationals were not arrested by have chosen to accompany the Palestinians to jail.
A jeep carrying Israeli occupation forces entered the village just after 9:30 p.m. and began shouting at the group which was camped there. Many of the structures of Tarna, rock-built houses were demolished several months ago by the Israeli military. This month, villagers and activists have been rebuilding the structures and seeking an injunction against the military from destroying them again. The military has been working to argue that the place is uninhabited.
Tonight, soldiers told the group that they were in a closed military zone and under arrest. Mohey Hasson, a field researcher for Rabbis For Human Rights, is among the arrested. Via mobile phone, Hasson said group was in transit to an undisclosed detention facility.
The three members of the World Council of Churches were told they were free to go where they pleased, but chose to travel with the Palestinians.
Rabbis for Human Rights and the villagers of Tarna have been keeping a low profile on the home reconstruction in Tarna. It was their hope to rebuild a significant number of the buildings that the army demolished while taking the matter of demolitions to court. It’s obvious that the Israeli military lacks any legal standing on this issue and is using blunt force to frighten villagers from returning to their home to rebuild.
For more information, contact
ISM at 297-1824 or 054-758-5890, or
Mohey Hasson at 050-210-3982.
Rabbis For Human Rights can be reached at 050-560-7054.
Another illegal act in East Jerusalem undertaken by the Israeli Government and the Municipality of Jerusalem has recently been uncovered: a plan to build a new Jewish settlement in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City near Herod’s Gate.
Recently the Sub-committee of the Local Committee for Planning and Construction in Jerusalem has confirmed a plan to erect a Jewish neighbourhood in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. According to the plan, 30 housing units and a synagogue will be built to accommodate some 150 people. Professionals (BIMKOM – Planners for Planning Rights) warn of the implications of this plan:
The proposed plan violates the basic planning principles of all construction in the Old City:
Besides the above planning drawbacks and the environmental implications, we recognize the political danger inherent in the plan. Building housing units for Jews in the Muslim Quarter has far-reaching implications over the delicate social fabric of the city. The Palestinians in East Jerusalem live in socio-economic distress, therefore a permanent presence of Jews in such a vicinity, in improved living conditions, would lead to provocation and a serious political and social crisis. Moreover, the proposed plan is also a continuation of a consistent Israeli policy whose purpose is a violation of the balance between Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem, creating by this policy a Jewish majority in East Jerusalem.
Increasing Israeli control over Palestinian land in East Jerusalem is intended unilaterally to create facts on the ground. With such policy Israel is violating international law, which does not recognize Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem, occupied in June 1967. Resolution 478 of the UN Security Council declares the annexation of East Jerusalem to be illegal under international law, and according to article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention it is illegal for an Occupying Power to deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.
This is basically a political plan that gives new meaning to the term “United Jerusalem,” preventing any possibility for political negotiation for a just solution in Jerusalem.
Please find maps and aerial photos at the following website: http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studies/view.php?recordID=645
Signatories:
AIC: Alternative Information Centre;
Bat Shalom;
Gush Shalom;
ICAHD: Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions;
MachsomWatch;
Peace Now;
Ta’ayush
Hunderds of activists marched 300 km from the Jenin to Qalandia checkpoint over a three-week period in July and August of 2004. Here’s a video showing highlights from that massive demonstration.
Israel’s wall along the Qalandia checkpoint road heading from Ramallah has become a giant backdrop for images of the occupation. Regularly on Thursday, and occasionally other days of the week, Passers by heading toward Qalandia see videos and slides of demonstrations, artwork and documentaries in opposition to the occupation, Israel’s illegal settlements and annexation wall.
Members of the Sharek Youth Forum came up with the idea. Teens went to a section of the wall a few meters away from the checkpoint and painted a large white square for a screen. They’ve since been showing a section of photojournalism slides and a presentation of photos from George Azar’s photography called “This is Palestine.”
More video clips and films also are planned for screening on the Palestinian side of Israel’s wall in the coming weeks.
“Most people really seem to like it,” said Mohamed Jaradat, a coordinator for Sharek Youth Forum. “It’s a new thing and it’s a peaceful way to use the wall to continue demonstrating against it and the whole occupation.”
