One Palestinian arrested as IOF raid Beit Ummar

On Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 1.00 in the morning, the IOF raided the home of the Al-Salabi family in Beit Ummar. About forty soldiers came to the village located near Road 60, south of Bethlehem.

Two soldiers remained by the door, as six soldiers forcefully entered the house. The entire family, parents and their five children, were pushed outside. They were made to stand outside in the cold for two hours, the soldiers refusing to permit them to obtain their jackets. The soldiers ransacked the house, throwing the family’s belongings unto the floor. They took a dresser out of the wall to search by the wall. The soldiers asked the father if anything was hidden in the home, repeated saying “if you remember, tell us”. They left at 3.15, arresting one of the sons in the family, Ala’ Al-Salabi.

The soldiers refused to explain why Ala’ was being arrested or where they would take him. Ala’ is only 19 years and one of the 17 arrested on Tuesday night. Later disclosed to his lawyer, Ala’ was taken to a prison in the illegal settlement of Gush Etzion and accused of throwing stones, molotov cocktails and selling bullets.

The proximity of Beit Ummar to a Palestinian road exploited by settlers traveling south in the West Bank is behind the campaign for arrest. About 200 people, of the 13,550 living in Beit Ummar, are currently in jail. Most are accused of stone throwing because of Road 60.

In January 2004, Israeli occupation forces cut down many olive trees along part of Road 60 close to Beit Ummar and Al Arrub. The intention was to build military towers to monitor the road. Furthermore, Al Arrub College was given a military order on November 28, 2007, to stop construction of an additional building to the college. A 50 to 75 meter no construction zone is enforced near all Israeli utilized road. However, the many homes that were already built near Road 60 are either unable to get permits to expand or being demolished. To stunt the growth of Palestinian villages and infrastructure is arguably the Occupation’s way of ensuring the growth of its own illegal infrastructure in the West Bank.

In an endless campaign to secure infrastructure for settlements in the West Bank, the Israeli government is responsible for the warrant-less arrests in Beit Ummar. The confiscation of land next to the road and a campaign to arrest people from the surrounding villages are results of claiming a Palestinian road for illegal settlements.

Free Gaza Movement: We do not ask permission from Israel

To view the Free Gaza Movement website click here

December 18, 2008

The Free Gaza Movement is sending the Dignity on its fifth mission to Gaza with envoys on board from civil society organizations in Qatar. The boat also carries journalists, human rights observers, and Palestinians who want to return home and have been prevented from doing so by the Israeli occupation.

On the eve of this voyage, the Free Gaza Movement would like to correct a few the statements made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a December 11 interview with Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper. In that interview, Abbas suggesting that our efforts are coordinated with the Israelis – that the Israelis check the passports of the passengers aboard our ship and officials from the Israeli Embassy in Larnaca, Cyprus, check our boat before we leave the port.

And as a result of this interference, President Abbas stated that ours is a “silly game” and that we are not really breaking the siege.

We do not coordinate any of our actions with the Israelis. Israel has grossly abused its authority as an occupying power by collectively punishing the people of Gaza and denying them basic human rights. As such, we neither seek Israel’s permission, nor submit to their searches, to assert the right of the Palestinian people to have access to the outside world, which includes the right to invite and welcome us to Gaza.

So, why do we get in, while other efforts are stopped by the Israeli authorities? Because we remove the “security” pretext with which Israel tries to justify its brutal actions and inhumane policies towards the Palestinian people. Amongst other things, we publicize our passenger list; we depart from Cyprus, a neutral European country; and we submit to a search by the Cypriot Port Authorities to verify that we are not carrying anything that can be considered a threat to Israel’s security. We sail from Cyprus waters, into international waters, directly into Gaza’s territorial waters, without entering Israeli waters. Israel realizes that it cannot stop us without using force against us, because we will not be turned around easily.

President Abbas’ statement that we coordinate with the Israelis was misinformed. However, Abbas was correct when he said that we are not really breaking the siege on Gaza. Our boats cannot break the siege alone. Our hope is that we have started something that others can build on. We have shown that the concerted efforts of ordinary civilians working together in the name of justice can confront and successfully challenge Israel’s brutal policies and hope we have inspired other people to break their silence over Israel’s war crimes in the Gaza Strip and throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. From the continued and accelerated Judaization of Jerusalem and the rabid violence of the settler movement, to the vicious racism of Israeli politicians, Israel is committing massive violations against the people Gaza and Palestine as a whole. The world must stand up to this.

The Free Gaza Movement will continue to send boats to Gaza to challenge Israel’s imprisonment of 1.5 million Palestinians, and we will continue to work for freedom and justice for all of the Palestinian people. We do not need Israel’s permission and we will never ask for it. We do need President Abbas, the Arab world, and the entire international community to join us.

LA Times Blogs: Dubai – Politics and AIDS at film festival

By Raed Rafei in Beirut

To view original blog, published by the Los Angeles Times on the 16th December, click here

Movies aren’t the only point of attraction at this year’s Dubai Film Festival.

In addition to being a venue for glamorous stars, the festival, which opened last week, has quickly become a platform for politics and controversy.

On Friday, a group of political activists showed up at the screening of a documentary on Palestinian rappers and called on the audience to boycott jewelry by an Israeli diamond mogul, who sells wares in boutiques in Dubai.

The group distributed T-shirts and flyers denouncing the jeweler, Lev Leviev, for allegedly supporting Jewish settlement in the West Bank, according to the local English-language daily, Gulf News.

Leviev reportedly owns a self-titled diamond label that has been selling in a number of high-end shops in Dubai for almost a year.

In another hall of the festival, jewelry and other objects were being auctioned off for a cause, the fight against AIDS. Actress Salma Hayek started the auction by exhibiting a Cartier bracelet bearing her signature, which was sold for $80,000.

Goldie Hawn then auctioned a 1962 rare portrait of Marilyn Monroe signed by photographer Bert Stern for $40,000.

The auction of celebrity memorabilia raised $1.8 million for AmFAR, an American foundation conducting research on AIDS, according to the organizers.

Dubai’s film festival, now in its fifth year, began Thursday with a screening of director Oliver Stone’s movie, “W,” about President George W. Bush.

A total of 181 films from 66 countries will be shown during the event, running until Thursday.

ISM London: Protest outside Leviev store on Old Bond Street, London

To view the ISM London website click here

On Saturday 13th December a number of ISM activists braved the rain and cold, took to the streets and voiced their opposition to Lev Leviev and his blood diamonds which finance the illegal Israeli settlement expansion into the Palestinian territories.

Located on the upmarket Old Bond Street in the West End of London, activists stood out against a backdrop of designer boutiques. Despite initial opposition by Leviev’s security guards, management and police officers, the demonstration went ahead undeterred.

Activists shouted various chants, read out facts about Leviev’s human rights abuses and war crimes, distributed leaflets and spoke with members of the public about Leviev’s more sinister activities. We wanted to raise awareness that the shine of the diamonds can’t take away from the darkness of his abuses. Even the security guards took an interest and it was suggested they find an alternative company they could be proud to work for.

Nonetheless, after a couple of hours of, we felt we had successfully deterred potential customers, with no one during the entire time of our presence even entertaining the idea of entering the store.

We hope the protest will pave the way for future actions to maintain the pressure against Leviev, and show solidarity with the New York and Dubai activists protesting the Leviev stores there as well as all other activists involved in the anti -Leviev campaign.

Background info:

Lev Leviev commits a compendium of human rights abuses ranging from supporting the oppressive Angolan Dos Santos regime which is renowned for its corruption, lack of transparency and violence, owning diamond mines which employ private security firms known to beat, whip and sexually abuse employees, through to purchasing rubies from Burma which supports the military junta and directly financing the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.

As part of the Jewish Land Redemption Fund, Leviev finances the expansion of Mattityahu East in Modi’in Illit, Zufim, Maale Adumim and Har Homa. All of these are in violation of International Law as set down in the Fourth Geneva Convention and the position is further supported by both the UN and the international Court of Justice. The theft of Palestinian land leads to the impoverishment and subjugation of Palestinian people and violent oppression against Palestinian non-violent resistance.

For more information visit:

www.adalahny.org

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/09/israelandthepalestinians.foreignpolicy

http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/1746.shtml

Bil’in residents cautious following Supreme Court order to move the annexation wall

The Israeli Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the second proposed route of the annexation barrier proposed by the Israeli military is illegal.

The High Court judges concluded following the court session that the route presented by the Israeli State did not conform to the previous court ruling from September 2007.

The State was also ordered to adhere to a new route and pay the residents of Bil’in’s legal fees which amounted to 10,000 NIS.

Residents of Bil’in have, however, reacted to the court decision, which if implemented would return 250 acres to the village, with extreme caution following the disregard of the State to previous Supreme Court rulings towards Palestinian land.

Resident of Bil’in Nasir Samara commented that “While we welcome the Court’s ruling that the route of the wall is illegal, this is not the first time that the Court has told the military to change the route. We will reserve judgement until we see the wall moved”.

The Court stated that both routes for the annexation barrier so far put forward by the State have not been based on existing structures, but on expansion plans for the settlement of Modi’in Illit. For any future route of the barrier the Court clearly stated that; “the security consideration that would determine the new route will take into account existing buildings [in the settlement] and not plans for future construction. The security distances will be measured from existing buildings and not from planned buildings that have not yet been constructed”.

If the Courts decision is adhered to then Bil’in would have approximately one half of the land confiscated by the existing annexation barrier returned. However the court decision does still not comply to international law, under which all settlements are illegal, primarily through the violation of the Geneva Convention article 49

However, Bilin’s lawyer did state that the ‘ruling was unprecedented in its detail and would help others challenging the barrier route‘ (Associated Press).

Residents of the village have remained cautious about the decision. Israeli Supreme Court rulings against the military or the State are notorious for their failure to be implemented and for the willful avoidance of the Israeli State to enact it’s own Court rulings, even those that still contradict international law.

For example in 2007 the Israeli military willfully ignored the Supreme Court ruling that the road barrier that was set up along bypass roads number 60, 317 and 325 in southern Hebron in 2005 be removed within 6 months. It was not.

Bil’in has become famous for holding a protest march against the apartheid wall every Friday afternoon for past three and a half years. In that time the Friday march has attracted world famous artists, celebrities, and politicians. They have been joined by a wide variety of international and Israeli pressure groups.